When in Rome
by Midnight Minute
Summary: Sakura's life is fairly normal...at least until Sasuke is consumed by Orochimaru. With the safety of not just Konoha, but the rest of the world at stake, bonds will be tested, alliances formed, and Sakura is forced to make a decision she will never forget
1. Wake up to Reality

Bright lights, dancing in a haze. A rainbow of entrancing color.

Loud music -almost disdainfully loud, yet somehow...it fit.

The bright lights swirled around in a circle till they finally blurred into absolute nothingness. Even the loud music faded away, though a constant loud hammering began to echo through the dark corridors. At first it wasn't that bad. Until it got louder

And louder

And louder.

I squinted slightly, bringing myself awake. The banging didn't stop... in fact it only got worse. Headache of the century. The more conscious I became, the worse I felt. My still-closed eyes felt like they had been soaking in acid, my head throbbed angrily, and my whole body seemed to ache everywhere. It felt like I was on a freakin'-

Instantly, I mentally kicked myself.

A hangover.

With great dread, I tried to recall my memories of the previous night, though all I could remember was the bright lights and pounding music. I groaned slightly, blaming Tsunade yet again for such an event. I never was a drinker at all until I had met her. And now it was just a common thing. I liked alcohol- so what? Problem was...I just couldn't stop once I started drinking.

Just...how much did I drink last night?

Vague (meaningless) flashes of memory filtered through my head and served to tell me absolutely nothing at all of my previous night, except that I was freaking hammered.

Great. Just flippin' great.

I opened a blood-shot eye with great regrets and only minor cursing, being assaulted by washroom lighting and menacingly bright sun rays. Just perfect. Not only was I hung over, I slept in! It would be a miracle in and of itself if I wasn't late! Tsunade would kill me!

"As the hokage's personal assistant and right hand adviser- you have top priority to be on time and alert at all hours of the day. This includes arriving on a timely fashion Sakura" (I had heard that speech many countless times) Tsunade could be such a hypocrite sometimes. Always late but scolding others when they were as well...though it didn't ever bother me. It's just who she was. I respected her for it actually.

With a sigh, I decided to go with the 'better late than never' approach and began to force my throbbing mind into alertness.

I rolled over against the wall, noting that _apparently_ in my drunken state last night, I deemed clothes as unnecessary and slept without them. (What _was_ I thinking last night?!)

A wave of nausea hit me as my head spun, unappreciative to the movement. I brought a pillow over my face, enjoying the coolness of the satin fabri-

Wait...Satin?

Sense when did I sleep with satin?

And....since when was my bed against a wall?

I slightly shook my head in confusion. I was no longer concerned with how much I drank, but now simply _what_I drank. The liquid seemed to make me do all kinds of strange things I had never done. In one night, I changed my sheets into a totally new fabric all together, rearranged my furniture, and then stripped down to nothing before climbing into bed. Psh. This is the kind of thing people go to shrinks for. Or an alcoholic support group.

I could see it now "Um..I'm Haruno Sakura...and...I'm an alocholic." "Hi Sakura..."

Too bad I didn't have the time for a shrink, or a crazy group of alcoholics to whine about their problems.

I was already late as it was.

I pressed a hand against the wall for support as I sat up, clamping my eyes shut as doomed realization hit me.

Walls were definitely not human beings.

Walls weren't built or muscled.

Walls didn't move.

My bed _wasn't_ against a wall. I wasn't touching a wall. I was touching a _man_...or a freakishly buff chick (hoping for the first over the second personally)

I felt my stomach churn faster with concern as I slowly opened my eyes again, preparing to face this 'wall', and whatever else it was I had drug myself into after way too much to drink.

As if irony itself was in human form, the 'wall' shifted slightly and slowly sat up (obviously off to a much better start than I was) He glanced at me once and it didn't seem to take an effect. (I was silently thanking every god in heaven that it wasn't a woman) ...Until the second glance at least. First thought? 'Well...at least I didn't sleep with a hideous fat man.' In fact, he wasn't that bad off in the looks department, even with blood shot eyes and frizzy hair. Actually....he was pretty hott. I know, I know, not really what I should be concerned with, but you try to keep your priorities in check when your mind is mush. He had blonde hair, nice build if I dare admit it. Though that quickly became the least of my worries.

His head shot back around, eyes wide and...well I am sure our expressions were the same. Each their own rendition of "What in the world happened last night?!" and based off the look he gave me, he had zero memory from last night either. Great. Freakin' great. In the short time I had to make a scenario in my head, I was hoping both of us would realize that it was a general mistake, we would put our brains together and try to remember what happened last night. Maybe we could get out of this as two random people at peace.

Though, with the look he gave me- I quickly doubted it.

"The HELL?!" he shouted in shock, scooting away from me and fastened the blanket around his waist more securely. This caused my grip to slip -not too low or anything- but as far as I was concerned, this stranger had seen enough of me as it was. I pulled the blanket back slightly and shouted right back, blowing off my 'plan for peace' entirely.

"What are you doing here?!" and almost added in a 'why did you mess with my bed' but decided that the sheets were the least of my problems. Because my being drunk would _not_effect my sheets, no matter how how drunk I was, I was way too much of a habitual, OCD laden individual. The real insanity was me actually believing that I was the one that did it. CLEARLY it could all be blamed on this man here, invading in on my apartment, he most likely changed the sheets while I was too drunk to notice- a logical explanation for.

He glared, pulling the blanket again, "I should be asking you that!"

I pulled the blanket back up, which enraged him further. He continued shouting at me, "This is MY bed!!"

He tugged again, though I didn't give him an inch. The idiot. So drunk he didn't even realize that he wasn't even in his house...or where ever it was he lived. Sad really.

I rolled my eyes, holding my portion of the blanket fiercely, "Look around you imbecile! This is NOT your-" I paused my sentence, looking around the room for the first time.

Olive green walls, neatly organized hanging wall paintings and rustic furniture for a completed well together hallmark card room.

.....

....

Where was I??!!

Instantly, inner Sakura was frantic, screaming loudly in the spaces of my mind, telling outer Sakura that all was lost and panic mode should be initiated. Outer Sakura not exactly being one to admit defeat, managed to keep my inter counter part at bay and remained calm.

The atmosphere cooled slightly as I took a deep breath, all that shouting from him and I was making my head threaten to detonate. I exhaled slowly, looking back up at the man in...his bed. Great. So in the end, I was the tramp that got seduced and followed him home? Where were my morals?!

His haughty blue eyes caught mine, which angered me slightly, but in reality embarrassed the hell out of me. And here I was, shouting at him about not being in his place, when I was the idiot. Half out of spite (mostly out of embarrassment) I spat out, "So what? You live with your mom?" The room was way too put together for a man his age. Either he was gay, or he lived with his mother. And out of the two bleak scenarios, I was hoping the latter was true over the first.

He scoffed rolling his eyes, "No I don't. My place," as he rolled his eyes, he scanned the walls and generic feel of the room, and his high and mighty attitude dropped quickly, "....looks...nothing like this."

My eyes widened and I was left, gaping like an idiot. I instantly wished I was more of a moral-less, drunken tramp, than this. At least before I knew where I was, his place (where ever that is) instead of some random hallmark card room in the middle of god knows where! What if we broke into some old granny's house?! Probably caused her to have a heart attack! Did this man understand how complicated the ventricular valves and the atriums could be when under stress?! I_ highly_ doubt it.

I threw a hand up in the air (using my other one to hold onto my share of the blanket of course) "Great! Just flippin great! Do you mind telling me where the hell we are then?!" I was clearly shouting by the end, and I glared at him for an answer. This just kept getting worse and worse! What if I was miles away from Konoha? Tsunade would kill me for sure!

He covered his ears quickly, "Will you freakin' SHUT UP?!! Migraine here!"

Now was my chance! I pulled the blanket up to my liking as he scrambled just as quickly, glaring acid daggers at me "And will you cut that out!"

I rolled my eyes, "Whatever! This is totally MY blanket! Use a sheet or something!"

"YOUR blanket?!" his look was sarcastic and demeaning, "You don't even know where you are!"

"Yeah well...well NEITHER DO YOU!!" I shouted even louder.

"Who are you to decide this is your blanket?!"

"Look at this place, it's obvious I picked it out, therefore the blanket is mine!!"

"You pick- wha? What does that have to do with ANYTHING?!"

"Exactly!!" I smiled triumphantly

He shook his head, "Aw no. No no. You don't just declare you win pixie chick-"

"Pixie chick?!"

"-See you can't just assume I have no taste in rooms. For all you know, I picked this room out!"

"Pixie chick?" I was still stuck on the name. How rude! I did not look like a pixie! Who was this man to compare me to a pixie? Seriously! I wanted a PhD or something similar for proof.

"You have this ridiculous pink hair. It makes you look like a pixie."

"Does not!"

"Truth hurts pixie."

"Stop calling me that!"

"Pixie."

I inhaled sharply. I would not degrade myself by playing this childish name calling game. I was mature and totally beyond it. I may have made some...poor...decisions (understatement of the year) last night, BUT that did not mean that I would continue in them.

His voice picked back up, taunting me "What's wrong? Not afraid are you? Pixie."

I glared at him, "Afraid? Of what? You? Don't be stupid."

"That's only because you don't know who I am."

God his high and mighty attitude was back, and it sure was annoying. "I don't want to know who you are. For all I'm concerned, you are just a bad memory."

He smirked, "Two tops Pixie. See, I've always prided myself on having great taste in women. But obviously I messed up that record huh?"

My eyes narrowed into slits. "What." My tone was iced over, daring him to keep talking.

He shrugged, a wide, daring smirk over his face, "Just that hair. I mean...it's like you are a circus conver-"

"OH That is IT!" I glared even narrower, "You are such a freakin' douche bag! You don't even know a thing about me, and if I were you, I would be petrified! I could freakin kick your ass up and down this wall but I am bit beyond that!"

"But not beyond sleeping with random guys?"

"Douche bag!!"

"Pixie."

"Stop. Saying that!"

He leaned in, almost to where our foreheads were touching, though strangely this didn't alarm me. I was far too pissed off for any internal alarms to go off.

"What you gonna do Pixie? Didn't you say you could kick my ass, both up, and down this wall? I think I'd like to see you try that."

"Oh don't tempt me. You have no idea-"

"No, you have no idea. Don't write people off. You never know who you are in bed with."

I rolled my eyes at his cruel sick joke, "You're such a bastard. Just get out of here."

He leaned back, his smirk more of an angry smirk. "Well you can be quite the bitch can't you."

I scoffed again, giving a small 'hmph'. I wasn't going to say anything, but I couldn't keep the words from spilling from my mouth, "Well you know what, random man with FREAKISHLY long hair? I don't care! And in fact I'm sorry! I wish I would have never drank so I would never have met you!!"

"Ouch"

"Yeah well if I'm the first person to say I don't like you, I'm doing you a favor."

"You really are a bitch aren't you pixie?"

"Just like you are every other bad name I can think of."

"Hey pixie.."

"What."

"Think fast!" he stated and next thing I knew, I was surrounded by a heavy blanket.

I disorientatedly flailed my arms around, trying to free myself from the heavy comforter prison, though by the time I finally freed myself....he was gone.

No trace that he was ever even here to begin with.

....Strangely this didn't bother me at the time. Goal one? Take a QUADRUPLE dose of aspirin. Goal two? Buy a pair of sunglasses and get the hell away from...wherever I was.

---- 24 hours later----

"Oh Ino it was awful!" I sobbed into the arms of my best friend, who was more than willing to listen to my troubles. "And the worst part is... I STILL don't remember a thing about what happened the night before all that!"

"Aw Sakura that IS awful!" she sighed, "Did you recognize the guy...or anything?"

The very mention of him made my blood boil and my body tense like a coiled snake. Man...if I ever ran into him again...I would have some fancy words to tell him! "No! I had no clue who he was, never seen him in my life- And if I never see him again, I will die happy. He was such a douche bag." Dramatic I know, but I was seriously pissed here.

Ino shrugged, "Well...maybe he was just frustrated and as freaked out as you were. I mean, he didn't know who you were either, and from your story he was completely lost too. I mean Sakura, there simply had to be something good about him if you went home wi-"

I gave her a quick glare, making sure she quickly corrected herself. I had not gone home with anyone. Turns out we were at a hotel about 40 minutes away from Konoha under the name of 'John Smith'. And a nice hotel at that, thank-you-very-much. I couldn't believe the hotel clerk believed that was his name. Though shoe on the other foot, I would have given a fake name too. Being a ninja and having life didn't mix well together. But John Smith? Seriously? A little creativity, I mean honestly.

"My bad...let him take you to a hotel. Sakura, can't I just say go home with h-"

"No!" I hissed back. "I have a reputation here...well whatever is left of it I guess. Going home with him means I'm a tramp, but letting him get a nice room shows I have standard and class...somewhat."

"Yeah yeah...geez you are picky."

I half smiled at her comment, then frowned as I remembered her emphasizing with him, "Hey wait now, who's side are you on by the way! I'm the victim here!"

No words truer than that. You can only imagine the terror as I realized I was sleeping in the same bed with a man I had not even met, I had no memories of how I got there, and then he has the audacity to compare me to a pixie and carnival freak! He didn't deserve any sympathy or anyone 'trying to see it from his perspective'

Ino laughed slightly, "Sakura, don't be dramatic here! You got drunk off your ass and slept with a guy. I mean, you don't even really remember details so just move on and forget about it. Stuff like this happens all the time."

After a long moment of silence, Ino moved closer to me, a small girlish smirk on her lips

"So...was he hott?" she asked in a giggle, eyes fully expectant of my answer.

I groaned. No! I did not want to talk about him! Me! I wanted pity! Because my life sucked! I know, I know, that sounds childish and selfish, but it's what I wanted. Just being honest here. "Seriously Ino?! Come on!"

"No Sakura.." she whined in a, rather annoying, voice, "Come on tell me!"

I sighed, knowing Ino could bring out the worst side of me- inner Sakura. Inner Sakura was over dramatic and spoke the first thing that came to her mind, entertaining (and honest) as they may be, it just wasn't how a ninja should act. Though outer Sakura always kept her imbalance in my head, and all in all I was a normal, mature individual. Just not around Ino.

I let the words fall out of my mouth quickly so I could get it over with, or she would never leave me alone about it. "Alright alright! ...He had long blonde hair and...andhehadagoodbody ALRIGHT?!" I was hoping she wouldn't be able to understand what I had said at the end, but I forgot that it was Ino- Queen of talking freakishly fast and expecting everyone to know what she said.

Ino gasped, giving me a look of shock and a hint of dark mischief too, "Sakura...I thought you said you didn't remember anything about the night..."

Oh gag! The very idea! "No!! Gross Ino! I saw his chest cause I don't think either of us bothered to put on clothes before we crashed- that's ALL I saw, got it Ino? For all I know he was wearing clothes- I have no clue!"

She crossed her arms and fell back into the couch, "Well that's no fun."

I sighed, happy the subject of 'him' was dropped, and began considering dropping the drinking. I wasn't an alcoholic believe it or not. In fact I hardly ever drank...just when I did...it was always in huge quantities..

Ino's voice broke my thoughts with yet another question, "Hey Sakura...what's that on your hand?"

She quickly grabbed my hand for inspection, a look of horror on her face. I looked at my hand with her, and a deadly long silence filled the air.

.....There was...a ring.

On my ring finger.

Ino laughed loudly as I shot up off the couch, shrieking and pulling at the small trinket "Oh my god!! Who's ring IS this?! Gross get it OFF!!"

I pulled it off with hatred and threw it across the room, staring at my, now bare hand as if the object were still there.

Ino still howled with laughter, though somehow still managed to talk in between her laughing fits "Sakura...I think we KNOW who that belongs to.. YOU AND DREAMBOY GOT HITCHED! Ha! This is great!!"

I ran over and shoved my hand over her mouth frantically, "Shush!! I. Didn't. Marry. Anyone."

I sighed and sat back down, feeling more stressed out than before. This snowball just kept rolling and rolling didn't it? I wasn't worried about being married to this random guy. All places around that were 'marriage license' places were just for fun...made to scare the hell out of drunk people I'm sure (they do their job quite nicely huh?) I was just so ready for this thing to just be over with. I did not need any more surprises.

Ino got up from the couch, heading over and grabbing the small trinket. "Hm, this is interesting...for a ring I mean." I rolled my eyes, though inwardly was sparked with curiosity, inner Sakura now at bay again.

"Ino...it's a ring ok?"

She sat back beside me, and despite my words, I still turned in to get a better view. It was a simple silver ring with a green emblem on the top, etched with the kanji 'green'. Wait...it was green...and said green?

....Lame!!

I turned back, "Ino, as said it's just a ring, can we just dro-"

"No Sakura...come on look. See, this ring...its so...weird.."

"Um...yeah!" I interjected, "It says green and it _is_ green, like a child's book. Maybe he was still learning how to read for all I know."

Ino rolled her eyes, "Sakura please? Come on I'm being serious here...I have an idea."

I inhaled, finally deciding that, if only for her sake, I would at least pretend like I was listening. "Alright alright. Whats your grand idea?"

Ino spun it around slightly, looking for a signature or initials or something. She found nothing.

"Well think about it, there are two types of relationship rings overall right? An actual engagement ring, or for less serious relationships, a girl will often receive the guys class ring."

I interrupted. This was her grand idea? I should have expected as much coming from Ino. "Yes, overall the ring has to have some significance to the guy, that way when he gives it to her, it 'proves' that she is important to him as well. I get it Ino.."

Instead of letting it drop, like I wish she would have, she only built off my statement, "Exactly Sakura!"

Exactly? Exactly what? Now I was confused...

"Ino...come on just-"

"No listen ok? This ring is obviously not an engagement ring-"

"Obviously"

"SHUSH! And it's not a class ring...You get it?"

I wanted to slap myself in the face. Ino made no sense whatsoever...ever! . "No.._surprisingly_Ino..I'm completely lost!"

Ino smiled, suddenly doing a good job of explaining herself, "If he was trying to seduce you Sakura- which I am banking on- he would have given you something very important...almost collat for getting you in bed...if that makes sense."

"I follow so far..." I didn't like her terminology, but she was at least making sense...which was great improvement for her.

"Well from here it's not that difficult. There are only 3 classes of important rings, your club rings, sports ring, or family heirloom/gift ring..." she paused, and with a triumphant look declared with great excitement, "Sakura.....you can track this guy down!"

It finally clicked, everything that she was saying. And though it killed me to admit it, she was right. Which scared me. I did NOT want to track this guy down! I stood up quickly, backing away. "Ino no. No! You can't be serious! I can't randomly knock on this guys door 'hey remember me here's your ring' That's crazy! Not to mention we ended on a poor note. I DO NOT like this guy. He was _insufferable_!"

Ino stood up, adventure in her eyes, "Sakura think! Any club we can track down, for sports just find the matching team and year, and if its in the family, Konoha has one of the greatest historical generations archives in the entire ninja world!"

There was no way in hell I would track this guy down! It was all just one huge mistake!! I did not want to prolong this anymore than I had to, which (aw bummer) cut all tracking-down-the-random-guy-I-slept-with missions, out. I grabbed the ring from her quickly. If she kept it, she would track down the guy herself I'm sure of it! "Thank you Ino, but I'll take it from her!" I put the ring in my pocket for safe keeping and watched her excitement sizzle into a sad disappointment

"But...Sakura.."

I began walking out the door, "I know, I know. Thanks for listening Ino.. Now honestly, I seriously have to go and talk with Tsunade. She's already going to be pissed I didn't see her yesterday and she'll probably send the anbu out to capture me if I don't show up today." I turned as I walked out the door, "Now Ino...you swear you'll keep this to yourself?" Ino stood at the door warmly, "You have my word, no secret spilling here alright?"

I sighed in relief and hugged my best friend. "Thanks Ino, I owe you one."

I turned out into the street and headed out, waving Ino goodbye. I walked down towards Tsunade's office, elusive to the rest of the world as if the word 'slut' had been etched on my forehead. I'll admit it- I was embarrassed about the entire ordeal. I got so drunk, slept with a complete total stranger, and in the end because I was so drunk I didn't even remember any of it! ...And all I had left from my wild night of partying was a killer hangover the next day and an odd little ring (which seemed to grow even heavier in my pocket)

"Tsunade...I'm in!" I called, as I opened the door, finally reaching my destination.

"Ah Sakura, welcome!" her voice was almost pleasant, but there was an underlying sense of annoyance. She must be upset with me for not showing up to assist her yesterday. I immediately began to give my best attempt of an excuse, "Sorry about yesterday Shishou...you see, I got caught up in a bit of a situation and I couldn't even-"

I paused my sentence as I entered into the room, shocked as I saw her cluttered desk....even more cluttered than usual. Today there were STACKS....literal stacks of papers that covered her entire desk space. Had she not have said anything, I would have never even knew she was at her desk at all.

I set my shoulder bag down on a nearby office chair, walking around to the edge of her desk, revealing a very disgruntled hokage.

"Wow...busy day..."

Often, she would get caught up in hokage paperwork, and she was always great about making sure it got done. (By making me or Shizune do it..) This though....this was insane! I had never seen her desk so full of papers, all stamped with 'Top Priority' classifications.

Tsunade gave a sharp nod, scribbling words down. She was incredibly stressed out, though at the same time...the air seemed...almost sorrowful. Though I couldn't blame her. I would want to jump off a cliff if I had five million papers to work through, all claiming to be of 'top priority' or whatever that was supposed to mean. She continued writing down words, scratching them into the paper mercilessly. I thought she would break the pen in half!

Usually I minded my own business...but I couldn't help but be curious here. "Um...Tsunade, what's going on here? Why do you have so much...stuff?" It must have been awfully important if she was doing it herself. In most cases she would have left and screwed me over into doing it. But she was still here.

With a light sigh, Tsunade gently set down the pen and looked up at me, attempting to look as normal, as non-frustrated as possible.

"Sakura, we have a problem." she said, in THAT voice. You see, she has her regular voice, then she has her diplomatic, authoritative hokage voice. That was the one she was using. Which was weird considering it was just me here.

"Problem?" I repeated, interesting that she said that. It was _clear_that there was a problem, there were a gajillion papers to prove it. Why bother telling me what I could already see?

She sighed, clearly debating with herself how much I should know, which worried me. I had seen this pattern before, being around her so often. Somehow, I was related into this whole mess. Which would explain why she was being so professional with the introductions and using her hokage voice.

"Well Sakura, I will just have to say it flat out. There have been some rumors...going around..."

My blood froze. Ino.

I would kill her.

Did she seriously tell Tsunade- the hokage, my mentor, and surrogate mother all in one?!

I calmed myself down. No, I was simply on edge about the whole thing. This simply couldn't be what she was talking about. No one would write up all these 'top priority' papers about me, no matter what I did. As dramatic as I was, my recent activities had nothing to do with whatever Tsunade was about to tell me.

Tsunade remained grim, which only strengthened my decision that I was safe. "Tsuande...what rumors?" I was tense too I realized. I knew it wasn't literally about me, but it involved me. And Tsunade didn't look happy either.

...What was going on?

Tsuande sat back in her chair, trying to relax away the growing tension in the room, "Well, there have been rumors that..." she inhaled deeply, pausing as if the strength just wasn't there, then continued "Sakura, there have been rumors that Orochimaru has taken over Sasuke's body."

If my world were ice, it just shattered. It was instantly like an out of body experience. I could see everything outside of myself so it seemed. The was a pink headed girl, with this...simply awful look on her face who crashed to the ground quickly like a flower without water or light.

"Sakura?!" Tsuande rushed over, trying to console her...me...but it was just..

Too much. How could I....when did it all?

No it couldn't....It couldn't be true!

Sasuke was still Sasuke!

He would never allow Orochimaru to... he was still here!

He was still my comrade and he would come back to Konoha one day!!

.....

....

I'm not sure how much time passed, me on the floor shaking, with Tsunade frantically trying to tell me it would all be ok. But it just wouldn't work. Nothing would be ok. Sasuke was....was he really gone? How can someone one day be so alive...and the next day not exist? It was all just...too extreme.

Finally, I found words. And I begged they would get the response I wanted. They were the only words I could come up with, the only words that would keep me sane.

"B-but...Tsunade...they...they are just rumors.. It could all be.."

Tsunade grabbed my shoulder, "Sakura...I doubt they are just rumors."

And I wanted to collapse again.

Tsunade grabbed me again, giving me a slight shake, "Sakura- Sakura no! Come on, I can't have you respond like this!! I'm telling you for a reason, Sakura! Sakura stay with me!!"

I had almost mentally checked out, practically catatonic from the shock of the whole thing. Slowly, I turned to look at her telling her that I was trying.

She pulled me up slowly, helping me balance my off centered footing. "Sakura, Orochimaru is going around, killing people at will trying to master all jutsu...and he is gaining so much power. But...it's just not enough for him."

Her hard eyes narrowed, catching whatever attention I could give her, "Sakura he is after Naruto."

That froze my world again, and jump started it like electricity.

"What?!" I shrieked, now more worried for my alive friend than over the loss of my dead one. "Why Naruto?!"

She sighed, though appeared more relieved that my mind was still functioning. "Same reason the Akatsuki is, he has the nine tails."

I couldn't help but bite my lower lip to keep myself from just screaming in rage. Orochimaru- I hated him. Just as much as I hated that Itachi too.

Both men were horrid excuses of a human being, and both _deserved_ to be hated.

Hate was a strong word...but, perhaps not strong enough when it came to how_ I_ felt about them.

I detested..no...I **abhored**...no..

I continued to test out words, inner Sakura trying out all coo responding words, and when she ran out, began brainstorming words from other languages, using every word I could think of to describe how much I hated them- then spent her time putting the words in a list- _alphabetically_.

Though out of the two- I think I hated Orochimaru the most.

That was something both outer, and inner Sakura could agree upon.

Sasuke was gone, and now he was trying to hurt Naruto too.

Tsuande smiled, "I know it sounds awful, but I'm happy to see you angry about all of this. Because you'll need that passion later on. You see Sakura, if Orochimaru does get the nine tails, then it's game over for the world...as dramatic as that sounds. We all know that he will destroy Konoha, and if Konoha is destroyed all ninja countries will go to war with each other trying to establish the next world power. Ultimately, we would just destroy ourselves."

"And as if Orochimaru would just disappear after we were out of the picture.."

She nodded, "Exactly. He would just cause havoc until every living thing ceased to exist. But here is the problem Sakura. Orochimaru now has his power, PLUS all the power and strength of Sasuke-"

"And the sharingan"

"**Plus** what he has gained since he took his new host."

I sighed, seeing what she was talking about. Orochimaru was simply too strong. Even with the power he had right now, if he played his cards right, he could destroy Konoha. Though he wanted the nine tails first so it seemed. Though this bought them some time, the problem still remained. Who would take him down?

"So I get Sasuke and all-" It almost burned to say his name...but now just wasn't the time to talk about it, "but where do I come in at?"

Tsunade smiled, "Well, as you can guess, Konoha needs to take him down before he takes us down, so I am sending our best of the best out. I was thinking Kakashi, sharingan for sharingan, Neji of course, Shikamaru, a few others...and I would like you to go as our best medical ninja."

I was slightly taken back "Tsunade this is...I mean, not to be rude, but even with that team I'm just..."

"Well if you'd rather, I can go...but 2nd best just won't cut it here, so I would prefer if you did.."

"...Second best? Tsunade you have _got_ to be joking I am not eve-"

Tsunade smiled, "Sakura your methods of chakra use and healing passed mine long ago. ....I _need_ you on that team. If you don't then the team will be wiped out. Simple as that."

I sighed. Not that I didn't want to help, but I just didn't see the point. Those people, myself...we were all so strong...but it wouldn't be enough. At least not that combination. Maybe if we got other papers together though...tried a different team, we could pull it off.

"Alright, as your adviser though, I would really recommend that we try to find the right team that can defeat him. I mean I can keep them healed up and all, but we need to have a good percentage of success in order to make this work." I was certain in my words, and Tsunade gave me a nodd of agreement. It would be a hard task and just the right team had to be selected or there would be no Konoha- and no world.

"I won't send out a team until I am sure you have over a 50% chance of defeating him."

"That's a low number Tsunade..." I wasn't necessarily disagreeing with her, just more of a statement. In most cases, a fifty percent chance of survival was looked at as certain death practically. It did surprise me she was allowing the number to be so low.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures."

I sighed again, still not liking how it all sounded. But it was my job.

And Tsunade was right. It was the end of the world. New things would have to be done to get a good outcome. Even if it meant people dying...even if it meant me dying.. I was ok with it.

I was a personal adviser to the hokage, and my skill was respected and honored throughout the village. I myself could assign missions and asses reports...time had changed my status in the village.

I had to protect Konoha from Orochimaru no matter what.

"Sakura...as a friend I'm asking you to do this...can I count on you?"

I nodded firmly, "Of course Shishou. What can I do to help?"

She nodded back, face determined as mine, "I need you to run back and grab all the files you have stored at your apartment- we will need them to set up a team- the 'right' team, as you referred to it."

"Hai." I walked towards the door, pausing in step and turning around slightly, curiousity brimming slightly, "Does...does Naruto know yet?"

Tsunade shook her head, "No..no he doesn't. I don't think it wise to tell him just yet. I will, but only when the time is right. I can't have him trying to force matters into his own hands- that would end in disaster."

I secretly agreed with her. Naruto would demand to go on the mission and perhaps try to go one on one with Orochimaru, then get himself and the rest of the world killed. In a situation like this, zero mistakes could be made, and risky steps had to be taken, and executed perfectly. I'm sure things would happen that had never happened before and never would again.

After dismissing myself, I began my walk back to my apartment, wondering how it would all play out.

Tsunade said a fifty percent chance of success was the minimum...and I was wondering how she would even get that, now that I began to lightly play out scenarios in my head. A part of me was slightly skeptical, wondering what the number would be based off from. It would be easy to not think of something and leave out an important detail by mistake. Orochimaru himself was a hard enough reality, but lets not forget his freakishly strong followers and experiments and who knows what else. If the entire team made it to the ending fight it would be a miracle. And even putting together a strong enough chance for a half and half outcome seemed impossible.

Though I didn't allow that to get me down. I began shifting my mind, putting use to both inner Sakura as well, trying to find a good idea I could present to the hokage by the time I got back.

When Sasuke left, the news was huge. At first it seemed catastrophic, but soon, everyone saw it as a blessing. An Uchiha? Orochimaru began to become a rising threat, and everyone just assumed that Sasuke would take him down in his own time, not the other way around. I could only imagine how other countries were handling it. Because of their belief that Sasuke would destroy him, no one- not even Konoha- had considered what would happen if Sasuke failed.

Perhaps just to take my mind of the dark new situation, I grabbed the ring out of my pocket and actually...smiled at it. It was amazing to think that just a few hours ago I was so distraught over the tiny thing when there were much bigger issues going on. I looked at it again, audibly laughing at the ring that was, and both read 'green'. At least I was laughing until something clicked...well something clicked..but I didn't know what.

I couldn't describe it...but I knew this ring some how. Like not this exact ring...but I had encountered these rings before...somewhere. I just didn't know where. Somehow I knew there was a connection I had with the ring, and it was more than a wild one night stand.

I shoved the ring back in my pocket, deciding that perhaps I might do a background check on it and see who the ring belonged to. Ino would flip out if she knew I was possibly going to use her idea, but what she didn't know wouldn't hurt her. Though in the mean time, my pace hurried up slightly as the temperatures dropped and the wind picked up.

Instead of taking time to stay up late and try to sort my thoughts from all the craziness, I instantly tumbled into bed, casting a jutsu on myself to force myself to fall asleep before my mind could begin wondering. I would face Sasuke's death....face the possible end of Konoha...just not now.

I simply couldn't handle it yet.

* * *

A/N: Wow. Gunshot beginning. Who the crap is that guy- and Sasuke is dead?! Orochimaru is causing havic and it's up to Konoha to take care of the situation! How will Konoha respond? What happens if Naruto finds out?

I am starting this story and I will be doing this a bit differently, that way (unlike my last stories) I will be having consistent updates, (roughly at the same time every other Monday night/ Tuesday morning) and overall, I hope the quality of my stories begin improving. For this story, I edit each chapter about 5-6 times, to assure that it is what I want, that the plot stays straight, that sort of thing. At this point, I am already on the 6th chapter, that way if I do hit a writers block (practically inevitable), I have time to work though it, without forcing some nasty words on a page, while still giving you timely reliable updates.

So ultimately this means, that you the reader, will still getting a consistent update every 2 weeks! If you have been a follower of any of my other two stories, especially broken mirror, this will come as a shock to you. Don't be alarmed, just something I thought would make my writing better for both me, and you :) As usual of course, I love feedback and it is always exciting to see people's responses to my work. Predictions, questions...no flames please. There is a difference between feedback and ranting, so please be respectful. Thank you and wish me luck as I keep writing!


	2. Ratios, Politics, and Lemonade

Midnight: Well- chapter two is up!

Sakura: 'Bout time midnight- damn!! You didn't even let us talk last chapter-

Sasuke: It doesn't matter! This story will always suck because I'm never in it.

Midnight: No- you're in it! ...You're just dead. Everyone thinks you're all emo- it brings ratings down *brings out giant flow chart* See? Chapter ratings down by 60% as of these past months-

Sasuke: 0.o' Whoah...

Midnight: -And as you know I want to make my readers happy, so *flips to pie graph on next page* by adding in your element of death, there is an increased chance of interest in my reader types *Taps page with giant teacher stick thing*

(Sakura nodds head in agreement)

Sasuke: But- but...I- come on it was just a- I mean seriously?! Come on Mid-

Sakura: SSHHH!! Let the people read Sasuke!

Midnight: *Shoves Sasuke in a box* Enjoy guys! Next update on Tuesday! See ya'll then!

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"Well...what about this?"

Tsunade handed me another stack of five or six profile pages, another team possibility for the squad to take down Orochimaru. I tried to be optimistic, but after countless combinations (all below 50%) and absolutely no sleep for _over _24 hours- it was getting rather difficult. Nevertheless, I grabbed the stack of papers calculating the percentile based off from the shinobi listed. This particular one included Kiba, Kakashi, Me (a given- I was in every combination) Gai and Neji.

It was a rather good combination. Kiba and Kakashi would be a great team for their use of canines, Gai and Neji's speed were unparalleled, but overall they were mainly offensive attackers, save Neji who had killer defense- _for a one on one fight_- not team effort. The strength in this team was there most definitely, but it lacked defense.

"I give it a 35%. The second even one of them gets hit, then they are _all_ done for." I sighed at my response. Under 50% again.

That was the hard part actually, finding a team with enough raw power to take him out, but one that still had a high level of defense so they could preserver in the battle. It was easy to find a strong team, or a team with a good defense, but often if you got one, the other was compromised. It seemed like no matter how many combinations we came up with, it just wasn't enough. The highest percent we had so far was 40%, which not only was it lacking a whole 10% needed to make the bare minimum, it was composed of over 10 shinobi which was an impossibly high number. If we were going to do that why not send every shinobi from Konoha to fight. The scenario was laughable.

I inwardly smirked. That would be ridiculous.

I sighed lightly, setting the stack down amongst the seas of papers scattered across the entire office floor, covering the file cabinets and over flowing file cases. Over the course of 48 hours, reports of Orochimaru and requests for help forms had been piling up- quite literally. Her usually somewhat tidy office had various...mountains of wrinkled pages that had been sat on, stepped on, shifted from pile to pile, ect. The entire place was a nightmare. The paperwork was bad enough, but what the paper work represented was even worse a reality. It only served to be a constant visual reminder of the deep rooted problem Konoha, and the rest of the world, was in.

I shifted through the papers, stitching a new team together. I grabbed Naruto, Lee, Neji, and Captain Yamato. That seemed fairly strong. Naruto had incredible strength...though he was rather loud and noisy at all the wrong times. Lee and Neji were fast...remarkably fast, though Lee could only do taijutsu. Captain Yamato was a past experiment of Orochimaru, he could help control Naruto if anything went wrong.. I sighed. This team was just as flawed as the rest. I, generously, gave them a 25%

"Tsunade, what do you think of this?" I handed her the stack of profiles, hoping she may have calculated in something I missed, hopefully for the better for that matter. She took it, glanced it over for a mere second and handed it back.

"Nope."

Huh? What kind of answer was that? "No? I don't get it..." Her answer was fairly confusing. Not like I didn't somewhat enjoy the small dilemma to get my mind off the constant bore of papers and stressful combinations that always failed.

"I'd prefer to leave Naruto out of this Sakura. He must stay in Konoha, and I'm sure you can understand why."

My blank look told her otherwise.

She set down her papers and looked at me head on, making sure I understood to my fullest capacity. "Remember Orochimaru's goal is to get the Kyuubi from Naruto. It's his ace in the hole for his mission to destroy Konoha and shaping the world into what he sees fit. If we send Naruto to him, he is much more likely to succeed by mere default. If we can destroy him before he gets to Naruto then we will have succeeded. Sending Naruto to him would be suicide for the ninja world. Probably the worst possible thing we can do in this type of predicament. Naruto must stay away from Orochimaru at all costs."

I nodded in understanding, setting my stack down. I must admit I was somewhat frustrated, however I forced myself to shift through the stack yet another time, trying a combination again.

Um...Kakashi, Shikamaru, Neji- no wait! I had already done that one! Good Lord what combinations hadn't I done yet?! This was getting so impossible and redundant...not to mention the fact that we had yet to get a team that even past the bare minimum precentile!

I groaned, sitting back onto the floor, rubbing my temples. "Tsunade, I'm sorry but I need a break. I'm sleep deprived, rather frustrated, and in all honesty beginning to believe I am wasting my time." I wasn't sure what made everything worse, but overall, the fact was simple. I needed a break. If only for an hour or two. I needed to see something other than printed faces, names, bar graphs, and mission reports. I needed a break.

"My mind has got to rest." I concluded, sitting back up slightly, hoping she would agree. I wasn't quite sure how I would respond if she said no.

She sat up straight, no longer leaning over into the mound of papers, adding in a sigh of her own, "I agree Sakura." Thank the heavens. "Let's go out somewhere for a while and see how we feel after that."

I nodded without comment, my mind still a bit hazy and zonked from all this concentration for such a long period. Though in all reality, a part of myself was almost...happy that I had been kept so busy. I hadn't really had the time I needed to myself to morn for the death of Sasuke, and the idea of facing the truth still scared me. I knew I would have to face it. I would have to allow myself to confront his death, know that I would never see him again, and somehow get through it.

Not only was that lingering and haunting my sub-conscious thoughts, but consciously, I was very on to terms with that fact that no matter how hard we tried, there just wasn't a Konoha team that could do the job. Though despite this, I knew that giving up wouldn't help anything at all. No matter how tired, or how hopeless it may seem, I couldn't give up. That was just part of the job of being Tsunade's adviser and best medic of Konoha. I had to give it my all when others would give up. Simple as that.

"Alright, sit down Sakura." Tsunade tried to smile as she slid into the restaurant booth, though lack of sleep was clearly effecting her just as much as it was for me. I sat across from her, plopping down with a loud dramatic sigh. It felt nice to be sitting in a chair and not on a stack of papers crinkled on the floor. As much as I didn't want to admit it, I was ready for sleep. It was like my mind was ready to shut off at any given time if I allowed it to.

A waitress walked over to the table, giving my mind something to dwell on rather than slowly simmer into nothing. The waitress was pretty, short red hair and a wide smile. Her high squeaky voice instantly changed my initial pleasant impression of her. Her pitch was so high, I was certain that if I had a hearing aid in, it would have exploded right then and there. "Wow I feel so honored! Tsunade-sama and Sakura-san! Welcome! Welcome! What can I get for you?!"

Her voice was so incessant! It felt like glass was breaking inside of my head. I was suprised the physical glass in the windows were still there, they had to be plexiglass or something. It was a wonder this girl was allowed to work in a public setting!

It was hard to make out what she was saying it was so high, and I couldn't tell if Tsunade was smiling back at her politely or grimacing in pain. It looked like a bit of both to me. I quickly flipped through the menu, hoping to get both our drinks and food taken care of in one sitting so she wouldn't have to come back and speak with her painfully screechy voice.

Strangely, almost nothing seemed appetizing, regardless the fact that I hadn't eaten in a considerable amount of time. Tsuande, obviously thinking the same thing I was, ordered a plate of onigiri and hot sake. Sake!

Go figure.

The waitress turned her glance over to me, "And what will we be having today Sakura?" I flinched when she began talking, wanting to kill my tympanic membrane then and there. And a part of me wanted to give her a speech over this whole 'we' business. Ok, there was no WE about it. It was _my_ lunch, not her, not we..ME. ...And if I had to sit at the table sharing my food with her while she killed my hearing each time she opened her mouth, I would kill myself!!

Regardless what was truly being said by inner Sakura, I smiled politely, "Bowl of rice and a lemonade please."

"Want that fried or steamed?" God it was like nails on a chalkboard!

"Uh...steamed please.." Please shut up shut up shut up. I watched her open her mouth and take a small inhale. NO!

"And did you want that lemonade pink or regular?" Sweet Mary- my ears! They HAD to be bleeding, I was certain!

"Regular- regular please." Someone...any god in heaven...have mercy..

"And did you want lemon on the sid-" For the love of Jesus!

"You know what?!-" I paused, forcing a fake smile on my face, clenching my fists tightly to restrain myself "I'm sure anything you bring out will be perfect."

"Alright I'll be right back!" Tsunade and I both groaned as her voice went up another decibel in her perky excitement, and she skipped away merrily.

I rubbed my ears, shaking my head with a full look of pain, "That was torture!" I wailed, expecting blood to start draining from my ears any moment now. Though something about that girl- besides her ungodly voice, caught my attention. It was how...happy..she was. It was odd to think that Konoha had no clue of what was happening...no clue how close they were to loosing everything. They all assumed life was just as normal as it was the day before...and who was I to tell them they were wrong? Who wanted to spend their last days worrying...about their last day? At least _someone_ should be able to live life to the fullest, right? Very few people even knew about it, me, Tsunade, a select number of the elders, and Shizune. I don't even think Kakashi knew yet.

It was slightly odd to think that I knew something even Kakashi-sensi didn't know yet. It put things into perspective for me once again, at how high up I was in the intricate governing systems of Konoha. Of course it helped to be a close friend of Tsunade, but all in all, I earned my spot.

This caused a small determination within me. I wouldn't let these people down. I wanted them to keep smiling, and keep believing that Konoha was just as safe as it always has been, that Konoha itself was worth believing in. I would protect these people...I had to.

Suddenly, the girl skipped back, our food and drinks on a small brown tray, swaying violently with her bouncy steps. "Here you guys go! Now if you need anything-" "-Nope we are good, you can go now!" Tsunade cut her off with a wide smile. I swear I saw her eye twitch.

I gave a small laugh, splitting my chopsticks apart. Tsunade poured herself a small shot of sake, pointing to me, "Hey Sakura you going soft on me? Lemonade? And I here thought I taught you how to drink like a man." I rolled my eyes as she downed her first shot, immediately pouring herself another. "Actually Tsunade I am trying to cut back somewhat. See, this thing happened and kinda shook me up a bit."

Tsunade gave me an intrigued look, "Happened? ...Like what?" her look was dark and expectant, and I knew she wouldn't let it drop until she was satisfied. So with a sigh, I started the story.

"You remember how I was late, like 36 some hours ago?"

"Yeah I was curious. You looked awful so I decided not to ask.."

"I was hungover.."

"I knew it..."

I gave a small laugh with a shrug. She had indeed taught me to drink, and it was already biting me in the butt. Yet here was Tsunade, well up in age, still drinking with nothing trailing behind her. Just my luck right?

"Well anyways, so I know that that night before I woke up, I went to a bar. I just don't remember anything after that."

"Anything? Even now?"

"Not a clue. I know I woke up with, perhaps, the worst hangover in my life however. Freakin hammered."

Tsunade nodded, understanding it thus far pretty well, "That would explain why you woke up with no memory."

"That's not all I woke up with Tsunade..." I mumbled, knowing that this was the part of the story I was hoping to avoid partially. Though I knew Tsunade would pick up on my silent clue in a second. She didn't need to have such high intellegence to read me, she just knew me that well.

She gasped, "No...you serious Sakura?! Who?!"

I threw my head back in despair, "I have no clue!! I don't even know who he is_ still_!"

Tsunade laughed loudly, shooting down another shot, "Sakura- you hoebag slut!" she laughed, shaking her head.

From anyone else, I would have been offended. From Tsunade? It was downright hilarious. I laughed with her, surprised at how great it felt to laugh again. It had been so bleak sense I had come back from my little hotel adventure and in combination with everything it was starting to bring me down. Not to mention the fact that I had yet to face the truth about Sasuke. And at the moment, I was glad I didn't have to.

For the next few moments, we ate our rice, occasionally making small talk and giving small chuckles of laughter before returning to our rice again. Finally, I decided to speak up. Something had been itching in the back of my mind that I wanted to get confronted in case my suspision was correct.

"Hey Tsunade," I began, setting my chopsticks down and looking up at her in the eyes. I intended this to be a more serious conversation, as much as I was beginning to hate the constant formality the situation brought. "I have been thinking about the way we are basing off our precents....and I think they are bias."

Tsunade swallowed her mouthful of rice, giving me a slightly alarmed look as she shot another glass of sake down. After a long moment of silence, she looked back up at me, "Bias...? In what way? ...We are basing them off their ability and the ratio of that ability to the chance of them defeating Orochimaru- how is that bias?"

She wasn't offended, though to any other person it might sound like she was. Tsunade and I had a very close relationship past the reqired office relations. She was my mentor, employer, role model and best friend. Just as she could read me, I could read her. It wasn't a suprise when I got promoted as a personal advisor to her, we understood eachother by a mere look at times. My natural understanding for government affairs and organizational skills made me perfect for the job, and I quickly became the obvious choice. Even the elders grew to respect and depend on me with time, having before assumed the position was simply given to me as a favor to the hokage and myself.

"See, the ratios are only partially off, but the parts change the whole- thus changing the precent."

"Don't follow.."

I nodded, shifting plates around and fashioning toothpicks around to symbolize Orochimaru's lair. I used her sake glass to represent Orochimaru, and a mint to represent Konoha. "Ok, so we have Orochimaru's lair, Orochimaru-" I sprinkled salt around the toothpick lair, "And all of his men. And here, we have Konoha's team we send out- assuming we put one together of course."

Tsunade inturrupted, a small smirk, "A mint?"

"Stay with me!" I sighed, though I could feel myself smiling as well. I continued the visual representation "Alright so according to our plan, we send Konoha to Orochimaru, and they go right there, and hopefully defeat him." I slid the mint across the table, flipping the shotglass down like it was the queen in chess. "And the day is saved blah bla- that's the plan right?"

Tsunade gave a slow nod, understanding thus far but unable to see where I was going with it. I continued to explain, now finally getting to the real point.

I put the mint back at my end of the table, back in 'Konoha' and then slowly slid it forward, explaining as I did, "Alright in the perfect world that would be fine and dandy, but sadly that's not the case. In reality, when we get into Orochimaru's hide out- no scratch that- the second we get into his territory even, our team will have people everywhere trying to take them down. Orochimaru has hundreds of followers, and it is very possilbe we will have to take out a very high number of them." I put my mind ammongst the sea of salt, leaving it there and taking the time to look at Tsunade. Her face was slightly stoic- she understood where I was going with it slightly, just not able to tie it together yet.

"You remember what happened last time we fought with the Sound- right after Sasuke left? If it weren't for the Sand, that team would have been killed- all of them. And they were good too! Hyuuga Neji, Naara shikamaru...they were in horrid condition when they came back. Well...not Naruto, but that's all thanks to Sasuke and his random found compassion."

"Of course..." Tsunade mumbled, looking at my toothpick-salt display.

I continued on, adding in just how bad it could be, "In reality, by the time the team DID get to Orochimaru in person, the entire team- worst case scenario- could have already been killed, maybe only one or two killed...maybe they all survived. But even in that case, they would be out of chakra and proably injured. There would be no way for them to preform at their full potential like our ratios assume they will....Being realistic, it just won't happen.."

Tsunade's gaze shifted from the table and up to me, "So what do you suggest then Sakura?"

...Suggest? What did I suggest? My mind instantly began filling up with ideas that wouldn't work, and I sub-conciously shrugged. "All I know is the problem- that's the easy part. In fact that, in and of itself, is the problem. We KNOW all of our problems. I could write a book over them if I wanted to, yet none of them remain solved. I, frankly, don't know the solution to any of them....let alone this one."

Tsunade nodded again, gaze shifting right back to the table, all around to where 'Konoha' was, then to Orochimaru, then to all his men. She closed her eyes in thought, seeming to think outloud as her mind tried to solve the predicament.

"Ok, so our problem is that the likely-hood of our team even making to Orochimaru is slim. So, in theory, how do we fix this problem..."

I added in, looking around at the display. If we were solving this in theory, it would be rather easy to find a theoretical solution. "Well, in theory, all we would need to do was get our team there to could kill Orochimaru with full chakra, and all it's members. And no injuries, that would be nice." After a moment of quiet with both of us thinking out possibilities of way that could happen, I added in, "In fact, any team that could get there would be nice."

Tsunade's eyes widened slightly and she froze, staring at the jar of mints. "Sakura...say that again.." she mumbled, as if she couldn't sort out whatever was running through her mind.

"Um...any team that could get there-"

"Of course!" she mumbled, reaching for the jar of mints. As she did, I finally began to catch on to what I was unknowingly saying.

Tsunade grabbed another mint, holding it up, "Sakura- two teams! We've been going at this from a do or die scenario here! It doesn't have to be so drastic- now granted it will lower Konoha's security, but if we pull it off in the end I say it's worth the risk."

She began shifting the mints and toothpicks around, setting it back up like it was in the beginning. "Ok, so we have the first team right? They go right for Orochimaru and then..." she paused, not quite sure where to go with it. I, however, had taken her initail idea, and formed it into a plan.

I grabbed the mint from her, "No they don't...they go...right...here." I pushed the mint forward into the salt, removing my hand. "That's all they do. As they fight, it gives team 2 the opportunity to break right through-" I shoved the second mint along the table, and knock down the sake cup, "-straight to Orochimaru, and take him out."

I paused, adding in with a growing grin of joy. Maybe this would work! "This dramatically increases the chance of sucess! It gets one full team there, fighting Orochimaru with full chakra, no delays or other enemies, and if they fail, we have a whole other team to back them up and take on Orochimaru when he is weakened as well! Granted it's still a slim shot- but I'd say this at least add another 10% to the general success rate!"

Tsunade beamed with delight, this new revalation being exactly what both of us needed to recharge our minds.

Tsunade stood up, "Sakura, lets head out. I will get Shizune to join us and with luck, we will be able to put together the two teams we need to pull this off."

I'm not going to lie, the second she said that we would be going back I wanted to groan, but the other half of me was excited. Maybe we could actually do this. Konoha had a shot against this threat...right?

I soon found myself in a triangle of girls, the three of us determined to sort out the names and profiles into two capable teams. Tsunade began,"Alright I was thinking about the squads. I think each squad should have seven men. Six fighters, and one capable medical ninja on each. Sakura, you will be on the elete team, and I will most likely either send myself on the lesser team, or stay here."

I gaped, "Me over you? Tsunade I-"

"Nonsense. You passed my medic skills long ago, anyone can see that. Now" she said matter-of-factually- "Enough talk of that. Let's move onto something of more importance. Tonight we will focus on our elete team, get some sleep, and tomorrow should be a cake walk in comparison." She smiled at me, "Though some people would rather pull a 48 hour shift I'll wager?"

I nodded with a small smile, though could feel a tenseness in me. I would much rather finish this now. How could I sleep when Konoha was in such a pradicament? It was my job to always be trying my hardest to support Konoha, and sleeping on the job was not something that I looked at highly.

"I'd MUCH rather finish this in one setting Tsunade...and the sooner the better. I can't sleep when the is work to be done." I stated just as surely.

Tsunade nodded, "Yes, but you can't work when you don't sleep...now can you?" She grinned again, focusing on the papers, "And not to worry Sakura. There is enough here to keep us all busy for long hours into the night."

And with that, the long process of sorting out papers with hopeless precentages- even with the added 10%- started all over again with no success.

Seven hours later, the group together, seemed to colapse.

Shizune sat up from her hunched over position, rubbing her eyes, "Tsunade, call me a quitter...but I don't think this is possible! I've been doing this now with you two for seven hours- and you have been doing it for almost a FULL day...we haven't even hit 45% yet!" She placed her hand in her lap, straigtening out some of the wrinkles in her clothes, "And when we get back tomorrow, I still have papers to file. You honestly can't immagine. There are letters of concearn- by the hundreds- sightings of recent activity, damage reports, mission requests... I would just throw it all away, but because we need it to find Orochimaru, and keep sending out ninja out on missions, each paper needs to be organized piece by piece. And in general, the filing department is WAY behind... and that's just MY department. ...It's a wonder the public hasn't figured out something is wrong, the entire governing system is way behind. Not to be out of place Tsunade, but it would be nice to have the steady hand of the hokage again."

If we didn't get to the request for help forms, people would stop hiring Konoha's ninja teams- a great portion for Konoha's main income system. If that happened, the economical side of Konoha could collapse. That would take out our small buisnesses, and then all we would have left is a band of ninjas without a job. Not exactly the ideal picture of a prospering city.

Though I didn't want to admit it, Shizune was right. Konoha was so backed up right now...there were things that needed to get done, and with us putting so much time and effort into this project (with no results) other areas were beginning to sufer. Only select people could know, meaning those select people were the only ones who could work with the affairs of the matter.

I added in, "Tsunade, I have been thinking this for a while- I know we all have, so I'll just say it out loud- Our ninja just don't have the calibur we need to take down Orochimaru." I paused, lightly tossing a stack of collected papers off my lap, "I mean, we have been at this now for about 36 hours...possibly more! We have tried every combonation at least three times. There is so much work to be done we can't afford to keep doing this!"

Tsunade still had yet to recoil from the paper stack in the center of our triangle, though it was almost visible that she was in the process of making a difficult decision. After a long, sadening pause, she agreed, "I know Sakura. But what do you suggest we do? As you said we know our problems, but as the hokage- I could care less."

She sat up, revealing a slightly preturbed expression on her face, "I want solutions here. There has to be some way..." she mumbled, almost to herself more than anything else. "To be honest," she said in the same forlourn voice, "I don't know what to do."

I stared into the ground, letting the overall words said sink in. If we gave up on this project to focus on other things, it was only a matter of time before Orochimaru came to Konoha. On the other hand, if we stayed on this project we risked off balancing the government, and possibly putting the public of Konoha in a state of panic. Each scenario seemed bleak, and there was no clear cut solution. So in clear cut and dry tearms; Do we let Orochimaru kill us, or allow ourselfs to deteriorate the city from inside out?

Shizune whispered quitely as the mood of the room darkened, "So we....give up?"

Tsunade stood up, walking slowly towards her window that overlooked the city, "...I was aware of how behind things were getting. I know how chaotic it is rapidly becoming. Though I don't know the answers, I know that I won't give up. This project is one of the most important things needing to be addressed, though others areas could use our help. So we'll start splicing up time. Tommorrow we will gather in the morning and discuss some allternative options."

"Alternative?" I asked, not sure what she meant by these new options. I thought there was no alternatives...?

She nodded, still staring out the large pane glass, "Relocate citizens, defense plans...things like that. I don't want to admit it, but Sakra is right. We don't have the power we need. So we will focus this energy into evolving Konoha's defense, and hopefully be able to last out from Orochimaru's forces fast enough to save our citizens, then let our ninjas duel it out. It's the best I can come up with on the spot, at least."

Ah, I understood now. There were no alternatives to _win_, though you could loose just about any way you wanted to.

A heavy silence hung in the room again.

So we were expecting- no, _preparing_, to loose the battle to Orochimaru.

In any other case, I would have been angry and tried to tell Tsunade a thing or two, though now I could only give a slow nodd. It was all we could do, prepare for an attack. If we sent out a team that couldn't get the job done, all that would mean was that there would be seven less ninja to help when Orochimaru came to Konoha himself. Might as well save firepower for when you'll need it right?

Tsunade turned around, wearily sitting down in her office chair, "Alright, lets break off for the night- It's late as it is. We'll come back in the morning, say around 9:00 Am so you two can get some real sleep, and when you get back, we'll spend a few hours brainstorming some defense possiblities, then we will try to regain balance in the overloaded system." She began moving papers around her desk as if it would make a difference, "I'm going to attempt to bring some order back to my office, but I myself will be turning in shortly. Alright, be off. Get some sleep ok?"

She turned towards me, "And Sakura, don't think too hard tonight..just...try to sleep..ok?"

She knew me very well. There was a slim chance that I would fall asleep.

...Sasuke.

It was easy to remain composed and not think about it when you are in such a high demand situation...but when you are all alone, with no one to answer to but yourself? That's where it become difficult...and I needed to come to terms about it. I needed to think it over and let it sink in that Sasuke is- was...that he _was_.

Sasuke was dead.

Though I was so afraid to face it. If I thought it over...it would no longer be a fear or just a dreaded thing that might be true. It would be real. Sasuke's death would no longer be lingering at the back of my mind, burried by tasks and calculations. It would become materialistic and tangable. Saskuke would truly be dead. I couldn't harbor him in the back of my mind forever...sooner or later I would have to face it, have myself face the fact that we had lost Sasuke.

That we never did bring him back to Konoha.

"I'll...try, Tsunade." I nodded, dismissing myself from her office.

My walk home was quiet. Lonely. My mind was still plauged by his loss.

The longer I thought of it, the more...pained..I felt. It was like there was a hollow empty sting in the base of my stomach- as if I had just been punched in the gut or something simular. I always told myself that I would become strong enough, and I would bring him back myself if I needed to. Naruto swore with everything in him that no matter what, he would bring Sasuke back- 'that's my ninja way'.

A foolish dream that would never come true for both of us.

"Sakura?"

As if on cue, the voice of Naruto came from behind me, catching me off guard slightly and causing me to jump.

I turned around to greet him, slightly suprised as to why he was still awake as such a time in the night. Now granted...I was too- but my reasons were clearly justified.

"Naruto, what are you doing awake still, aren't you going to go to bed?"

He gave me a funny look, turning his head slightly like a confused animal, "Um Sakura...I _have_ gone to bed. Its 4:30....I always get up at this time to train.." he paused, looking at me again like I was a book written in a different language, "Wait- so you mean you _haven't_ gone to bed yet?"

Was it seriously 4:30? Already? Man, I serilously did need to get more sleep. It's a wonder my body didn't collapse on the ground from exhaustion.

"So...why are you still up? You look like someone slapped you, you ok? Like...you look like you are about to cry or something.." he finished, walking closer to me for inspection.

Inner Sakura shot up, alert and already thinking of possibilities, while outer Sakura remained calm, waiting for inner Sakura to come up with the perfect lie to tell. And it had to be good. Naruto couldn't know about Sasuke, or Orochimaru...or anything. When he heard, he would demand to go out on a team and destroy him, which simply couldn't be done. With how busy things were inside the office, I couldn't allow Naruto to find out, if only to keep him from bothering Tsunade.

Inner Sakura grinned, as outer Sakura allowed her lower lip to tremble, throwing a hand over her eyes in agony. "Oh Naruto..." I whispered, broken and forlourn, "I...well...I'm up because..." I cut myself off in a sob- a fake sob- but it sounded no different to even my ears.

Naruto shot forward, grabbing my shoulders as if trying to pull the 'truth' out of me, "Sakura?! What is it? Are you ok?! Did someone hurt you?! What's wrong?!"

"Naruto I-! I think..." I gave another sob, letting out a dramatic wail, "I think I'm pregnant!!" I cried, throwing myself against him in a fierece hug as if I would die where I stood from sheer emotional pain.

Inner Sakura laughed hysterically, rolling across the black space of my mind in sheer bliss of how it sounded to someone who knew that it was a complete and total lie. Absolutely hilarious.

Naruto gasped, pulling me back so he could look into my red puffy eyes, as if I had been crying, but in reality was simply from lack of sleep. Not like he would notice a difference though. "Sakura- how did this happe- I mean...I know how- but who- er...when?"

I tried not to laugh at his obvious failed attempts of responding tactfully, inner Sakura's laughter somewhat becoming infectious and effecting outer Sakura's sad and desperate facade.

Keeping up my act of woe, I told him the general story of my one night stand, no longer embarassed about it all that much (turns out very few things matter in the end of the world...) and adding in the simple lie that it was just the right time...and

"And now....I just don't know..." I whimpered, giving my best puppy dog eyes to Naruto.

He instantly hugged me, "Don't worry Sakura-chan. Even if you are, you will make it ok. You are a Konoha ninja- you can do anything! Even having a baby! And I'll be right here for you, like, the babies uncle or something.."

I found it even more difficult to not laugh now, seeing the stars in his eyes and dreams of a possilble child he could involve his life in, though forced myself to let out a slow nodd. "Ok...thank you Naruto..it helps.." I finalized, pusing away from him slightly.

"No problem. Hey- we'll talk later, but you need to get some sleep. Don't want to hurt the baby or anything.."

I gave another nodd, allowing Naruto to politely walk me home.

Over the scan of time after Sasuke left, Naruto had at first tried to date me, though after finally realising I had no interest in doing so, backed off. He soon found in himself that there was a certain someone else- a certain Hyuuga girl- that he was rather fond of, and as it turns out, was rather fond of him. Though Naruto and I were practically inseperable now, it more of a brother and sister kind of thing. The girlfriend role for him had been filled for two consistant, happy years, and I could only wish the best for him and Hinata.

"Alright, safe and sound at your apartment Sakura." he smiled his famous squinty eyed smile, rubbing his head awkwardly.

I nodded, part of my exhaustion kicking in, "Thank you Naruto...I'll be getting to bed then.."

"Sleep tight Sakura- and if you need anything, I'm right there ok?"

I only nodded, grabbing the key and unlocking the door. Giving a wave goodbye, I walked in and closed the door.

I set my bag on my night stand, knocking over a small standing frame that stood there. As if by habbit, I picked it up to fix it, though the picture in the frame caught my attention.

Team Seven..

There was me, smiling so brightly. Oblivious to life- heck, even oblivious to what was right behind me.

While I was smiling, there were my other two team members, Saskue and Naruto, glaring at eachother as if each had just made a proclaim about the other's mom or something. (Ironic seeming as both of their mothers were indeed dead) It was the only picture I had of team 7, and I had seen it a million times, though this perhaps was the first time I had stopped to actually look at it.

I was so foolish back then, life was just a happy game and it was so fun and so great and so I always smiled because if I always smiled then nothing would ever go wrong and...blah blah blah.

I was foolish. Nothing more to it than that.

Though I wonder, if I knew what was ahead of me, would it had been the same?

If I knew that Sasuke would blow me off- leave me for a relaxing stay on a park bench while he betrayed us all

Or if I knew that I would get trained by Tsunade her self...that I would become stronger...than Tsunade herself

If I knew that I would have to watch hundreds of people die every year, injuries past even my ability to heal

If I knew all that...

If- if I knew that Sasuke was going to...die..

That Sasuke _did _die...

If I knew all that...Would I still have smiled?

And then I let my tears fall- the first tears I had shed for Sasuke in years.

-----

My alarm clock went off like an explosion, the very blood in my veins jumping at the startling sound that brought me out of the land of slumber. I jumped out of the bed entirely from shock, not even landing on my feet, but instead a mess of twisted sheet and blanket that encompased my entire body.

If it weren't the end of the world, I would have gone staright back to bed.

---

After a quick shower, bite of breakfast and dash of perfume, I was stepping out of my apartment, into the streets of Konoha. It was amazing what sleep could do for the body. Even though I had only gotten 5 hours of sleep, I still felt rejuvinated and lively again. The sun was shining, it was just the right temperature outside...the day itself seemed to say hope.

Somehow I just knew that we would find a solution today. I just knew it.

It was currently 10:00- thirty minutes late, though I knew Tsunade wouldn't care. At least not in a situation like this. It was more important that I be well rested than just on time and dead tired for something as dire as this.

I walked merrily into the central office building, not even bothering to check in, just immediatly walking up the halls towards Tsunade's office. Upon reaching her door, I could hear Tsunade's voice inside, most likely making small talk with Shizune while they waited for me to arrive.

I opened the door, not even bothering to make eye contact with her. I was ready to get to work and we would find the solution today!

"Alright I'm here- sorry I'm late Tsunade-" I set my bag on a chair to the right wall, "but I am quite certain that today we will-"

After setting down my bag, I looked up, to explain my excitement to the two girls, when my blood froze.

Tsunade was sitting in her office chair, staring calmly at me, while my eyes stared slightly offset, met by two blood red eyes.

I knew that face. I knew those eyes. Blood shot back to life in my veins, shooting faster through my entire body, pulsing with both rage and adrenaline.

Uchiha Itachi.

"Tsunade what the _hell_ is going on?!"

* * *

A/n: Gasp. What is going to happen? And why is Itachi there?! A cleverly placed cliff hanger- yes it's true. I like using cliff hangers! Don't fear though, chapter 3 is already typed up and waiting for next Tuesday to arrive, so you won't have to wait 3 years to know what's happening. Oh, I got a new job and I work **30+** hours a week now, so it will be very hard for me to keep writing, but overall, I should manage some consistancy. Right now I am typing up 5 and writing chapter 6, so it's all good for a while at least. Yay Midnight! Question- does anyone actually read these things? I usually do, but I will admit, sometimes I don't :/

Anywho, I think overall this chapter was fun ish. Shows us alot of how things have changed in Sakura's life as time has progressed on. She has really grown up I'll say. But what role will she have in defeating Orochimaru?

We will have to see :D


	3. Red meets Black meets Green

Sakura: Whoah- is it Tuesday already?

Midnight: M'hm. New chapter- up as promised!

Sasuke: mffphhh!!

Midnight: Hm? What was that Sasuke- I..I can't hear you- you're in a box..

Itachi: Foolish little brother..

Sakura and Midnight: Itachi?!?!?!!

Midnight: You've got a knack for sneaking up on people Itachi- where did you come from anyhow? *ish wierded out*

Itachi: Well, ratings and all- prove that people like me more, so here I am.

Sakura: Makes sense to me.

Sasuke: *$^&*!!%^*$#!^&$#&#!

*Itachi glares and kicks box out window, Midnight and Sakura wave as the box soars through the sky*

Midight: Well, onto the next chapter. Enjoy!

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"Uchiha, this is Haruno Sakura, my personal assistant- adviser, and pupil. I've been expecting her."

Tsunade, though tense, welcomed me with a formal introduction- to that horrid traitor of a man. He shifted his murderous crimson eyes to me, not saying anything, though seemed to have an aura of danger around him. Even past my hatred for him, a small part of me was in awe of his presence alone. This was the man that single handedly destroyed an entire great clan- as heartless as it may have been- this man's skill was no less than euphoric.

"Sakura please, sit down." Tsunade said, trying to keep the casual tone, as if an S-ranked criminal wasn't in her office.

"No I'd rather stand thank you," I replied with a snap, still not breaking eye contact with the sole Uchiha survivor. I wasn't going to pretend that this was normal- or OK- by any means. Why wasn't Tsunade attacking him?! And why was everything so calm?! This was ITACHI!!

I felt my anger come to a boiling point, and I was instantly shouting. Pointing a deserving finger of accusation at the intruder, "Tsunade what is going on?! You tell me right now! ...Where is Shizune- why isn't she here yet?! AND for gods SAKE, what is HE doing here!?!?!"

Itachi shifted his gaze away from me, onto Tsunade as if wondering how she would handle me. Yeah. As if I were the problem. In response, Tsunade gave a sigh, "Sakura please sit down- I'll explain it all just...just calm down!" her voice was tense again, showing signs of exhaustion.

I, reluctantly (being sure to not turn my back to him) sat down across from her desk, glaring at her now. As far as I saw it, we should be jumping him, calling for back up, and trying to re tribute the great evil he did to Konoha. Sitting beside him enjoying a nice conversation- nice cup of tea, was NOT what I had in mind.

She nodded a small thank you, leaning back in her large office chair, "Sakura. As you are aware, this situation is effecting everyone, not just us, though because we are Orochimaru's first target, it has become our responsibility to take him down. Problem is, as we clearly discovered after many long hours, we simply don't have the skills to do it. I had planned on relocating, or making defense plans, however after you left last night, Itachi came as a representative from the Akatsuki. This apparently is effecting them too, in reasons that he is forbidden to share,"

She slightly glared as she stated that, obviously frustrated by the lack of information the organization was willing to give them, "and they would like to temporarilly alli with Konoha as we are the driving force behind the movement against him."

My head shot over towards Itachi in shock. Was this for real? Konoha and Akatsuki as Allies? How would this work out?! They had to be joking...better yet, I was dreaming. Some weird, sub-conscious dream, my conscious mind trying to find new way to protect Konoha, even in a crazy way like this. My alarm would be going off any second now. Though in the mean time, I asked with disbelief in my voice

"You mean- Konoha and Akatsuki...working...together?" I was instantly laughing, "Yeah right, hell would freeze over first!! All that would happen was they would get to the village, take Naruto and run. They'd go into hiding till it was just them and the cockroaches left standing."

"Sakura!!" Tsunade barked, shock lacing the tips of her words. She knew I was bold, but being bold in front of someone that can kill you in a _literal _blink of an eye was a new level of boldness, that apparently, she didn't think I had. Psh, screw it all if I cared. It was the end of the world right? Who had time to be fake and beat around the bush? I sure didn't, and I doubted the hokage did either. Not even this Itachi guy. Formality was no longer necessary.

"What?!" I defended with a shrug, "I know we were both thinking it, why not say it out loud and face the facts now- we don't trust each other!"

She crossed her arms, slightly speaking in a muffled tone of surprise,"Yeah, but you just don't say things like that..."

"You don't.." I mumbled under my breath as well, though the smooth tenor tone of Itachi rang into the thick air, catching my attention instantly.

"I assure you that we have no intentions of betrayal." he paused, as if trifling with an idea in his head, then a smirk came to his lips as he continued speaking, "What would we gain by betraying a people that can't take down a single man?"

"Why you-"

"Sakura sit down!!"

I plopped into my seat again childishly, inner Sakura throwing angry punches and vivid colorful words, mentally destroying and obliterating the man right then and there. Her ideas were so tempting, outer Sakura struggled to stay seated.

Tsunade continued, voice less panicked then before now that I was back in my chair, "If you can't handle this then you can temporarily be replaced until this matter is over. But...I want you to be here personally. You have been working under me for years and I need your intellegence and strategic methods of thinking. ....Desperate times call for desperate measures Sakura- sometimes you gotta choose the lesser of two evils and run with it while you can. ...Remember that."

Itachi turned towards me, face stoic again as if he hadn't just insulted our entire village- even his home village, "I understand your mistrust in us Sakura," _I doubted that_, "and I understand you were in my brother's squad. I imagine this must be hard for you," Now that one I believed. He could neverunderstand, only imagine, because understanding means actually having a heart and showing symptoms of being a living human being- something Itachi could _only_dream of. Yes, I assumed he had indeed imagined. There was no other explanation. "However, if you want Orochimaru to atone for the crimes against my younger brother, Konoha and Akatsuki MUST Alli together."

Funny words, and it efficiently shut me up and got my head swirling in a sea of emotions. As if speaking directly from my torrent of thoughts, I mumbled slowly, "The only reason...Sasuke went to Orochimaru in the first place," Left me and Naruto behind, leaving me stranded on a park bench, coming so close to killing his best friend, going completely, and utterly insane, ultimately throwing his entire life away "...was to kill you."

I found my self smirking sourly, beginning to hate the ninja life. It was so twisted and dark. Was this really what it was all about? Do what ever you have to do to keep your group alive- forget that the people you are destroying also have their own group of people they love...CLEARLY you are right and they are wrong- EVERY time. As long as you came out on top right? Always watching out for number one, claiming it's all justice and for a good cause.

The idea made me sick.

"What the hell? It's all so jacked up, why not skip into battle, holding hands merrily with the man Saskue hated the most, all in the name of Sasuke?" I clenched my fists tightly, noting that even inner Sakura had fallen silent in a torrent of both anger and depression.

Was this really what it was all about? ...Really?

Tsunade made a small face, understanding what was going through my mind after knowing me and my thoughts for so long, "Sakura- listen I know-" her voice was soft and sorrowful, wishing she had an answer for me.

Instead of giving her the embarrassment of having none, I cut her off, "Look." I could feel my eyes burn with tears, but I forced them back quickly. I was done crying over this. "We don't have another choice, but it just...it just makes me so angry! Sasuke would have never wanted this! Don't give me this 'avenge my brother' crap, when you are the one that made his life hell! Don't tell me 'the lesser of two evils' ...evil is evil, no matter how you slice it! Hey- but anything to make your conscious feel better right?"

I sighed, the power in my rant seeming to drop right from under me. "I can't pretend I'm ok with this....I can't. But I CAN do my job, and it is my job to do what is best for Konoha. And I will do it- with pride even. It's all I have left I suppose..."

I could feel both pairs of eyes on me, wondering what I would say next almost. Because even though I was a hundred percent right, all I was efficiently doing was waisting precious time. I gave a wider smirk, somewhat appreciating the dark, sickening irony or what the world was becoming- without the aid of Orochimaru, "Let's get this done."

"I have a map of Konoha and the other nations to the left as you can see. Uchiha, this is what Konoha has come up with, though as it was Sakura's idea, I'll let her explain it to you."

I noticed a flash of surprise in the eyes of the sharingan holder, but only for a moment before it returned to his usual blank stare. Perhaps he didn't think it possible for such a young girl to be the one making such important plans for Konoha...but then again, I highly doubted it. This was the same man that was in charge of anbu black ops at 13- I'm sure age meant little to him.

The three of us all moved closer to the far end of the room, and I tried not to tense as Itachi neared closer to me to better observe the map. I don't care what Tsunade said- this was not normal! While inner Sakura continued ranting about how awful and evil Itachi was, and the akatuski all together, outer Sakura began explaining the current plan.

"Alright, so Konoha is here- obviously- and though we don't know where Orochimaru is, we can generally assume he will be somewhere in the nation of fire as that's where most of his hideouts- generally- remain. Of course we can't be too sure-"

I continued explaining the plan, spending time to give detail about squad one; who we thought would be good additions to the team, how many men we wanted for that team- etc.

"Then we have the second team. Same thing as the first, I was thinking a seven man squad- six 'fighting' and one medic, however this team, at least the way I have it figured, will not even be in Konoha. I don't know where, but when team one leaves, I want team two to be unheard of and unknown about. Team One moves to the hideout, begins taking on all the under hands and servants to Orochimaru- and from the shadows, Team Two emerges, and takes on Orochimaru himself. They won't have to worry about his followers- that's what Team One is there for."

I paused, trying to think of a better way to explain it, "Team Two is the elite team I suppose- Team One, really, is just setting the stage for the real battle."

I took a deep breath, my plan now explained, looking at Tsunade and Itachi. The man was so unnerving! The entire time, he had yet to nod, shift slightly, and personally I don't even think he blinked. Talk about intense concentration!

Tsunade winked at me proudly (I was just happy I got SOME form of reaction) and turned to Itachi, "There you have it. That's the general idea- what does Akatsuki have as for a plan?"

Itachi, now finally moving from his statue like gaze, looked to Tsunade, "As far as I am aware, the Akatsuki has not made any plans except to alli with the forces of Konoha. However, if you would like my personal take on your plan this young kounichi created-"

He turned back to the map, staring at it intensely as if awaiting it to burst into flame or morph the lines into words and not pictures. Inner Sakura gaped, shouting profanities at him for even having the audacity to judge her work. She stabbed him again and again with a dull kunai until the man showed signs of movement again. After a long (and I mean LONG) moment of silence, he turned back to Tsunade, "It's flawless."

'AW YEA!' Inner Sakura screamed, throwing on a party hat and throwing black and white confetti's everywhere. (Whatever did happen to that kunai anyhow?) Outer Sakura smirked slightly, hoping not to overdo my seconds of fame. Though it wasn't a literal compliment, I sure as heck would take whatever I could get.

Tsunade grinned even wider than my own, nodding at me in acknowledgement. She turned to her desk, grabbing a sticky note and scribbling some, most likely eligible kanji across it. "Sakura I'm writing down a room number in the hospitality wing. I'm giving them use of a room while they stay- though depending later on we may just give them two- not sure yet."

I inturupted her, "Wait- them...as in..plural?"

She nodded firmly in aggravation, handing me the sticky note, "Yes Sakura plural! The Akatsuki will be here tomorrow and I can't have them wandering the streets or getting hotel rooms- they would cause a public uproar! While they stay we will provide them lodging so if you could please show Itac-"

Suddenly, the door burst open, taking all three of us in surprise.

"TSUNADE! Where is that bastard- lemmie at'em!!" I mentally cursed, knowing that voice before I even saw the face.

Naruto.

He was standing in the doorway, and in the same second he began to charge forward, I found my body running towards him, restraining him one one side while Tsunade held him down on the other. "Sakura-" Tsunade breathed out through our slight struggle, trying to keep down a very confused, angry Naruto.

"Right-" I nodded, molding my chakra against the door then to his feet to hold him in the door way. Knowing not even Naruto could break my chakra hold, I let go with a sigh of accomplishment, Tsunade following suit and walking back to her desk calmly.

Itachi seemed a bit concerned, wondering why we were walking away and not bringing him to the ground in restraint- but he didn't know my chakra manipulation like we did. I had always been good at controlling chakra, so after my medical training, I began fine tuning my chakra skills and could control them where no amount of strength could undo something that I created. Pure talent really.

After a small moment, though knowing himself that there would be no breaking my chakra flow, he began shouting again. "Sakura what are you doing?! That's Uchiha Itachi and you're just standing there?! Let me go, I'll bust his face!!"

Tsunade smirked, more stating to herself than actually to Naruto, "And that's why you're stuck in the doorway isn't it? Nice work by the way Sakura." she addressed me again, pouring herself a cup of 'hot tea' (Sake no doubt)

After setting the glass down, growing rather tired of Naruto's shouting, she fully spoke to him, "Naruto, do you want to destroy Konoha?"

Naruto paused his rampaging and gave her a, rightfully, confused look. "Dest...No! I want to become the hokage someday!" Tsunade pointed to Itachi nonchalantly, "Well if you kill this man, there will be no Konoha to be the hokage of." After a light pause, she added in, "Naruto, some very...very strange things have happened, and you will need to be filled in."

"Like why THAT is being allowed to live?"

Itachi didn't show a response to Naruto's harsh words, though that didn't surprise me. He had run into Naruto various times, been yelled out and threatened by him just as many, most likely the biggest shock if any, was in fact my boldness. Naruto being rude was more expected than anything else, though for a girl to act so brashly was rare.

Tsunade nodded to me, and I released the chakra, preparing to tackle Naruto if he even flinched. Luckily for his sake, he stayed in place. "I think I am calling a meeting," Tsunade announced to the room in general, "The city needs to know and understand the situation Konoha is in."

I quickly turned around, knowing that that was a horrid idea "No No Tsunade, please not a town meeting! As your adviser- I'm telling you that is a BAD idea! If you call the whole city, then everyone will be in a state of panic- something we are clearly trying to avoid! Only a select few must know if we are to keep peace, and control of the city."

Naruto moaned in agony,"Aw what is going on?! State of panic?"

Tsunade ignored him (as usual) considering my words. I knew i was right though. Civilians did not need to know until the very last possible moment, if they did, it would strictly result in pure chaos. Instead of using our ninja force to protect the city, it would be used to control the people. Very bleak results when considering the village could very well be under attack in a short period of time.

Naruto spoke up again,"Will someone please tell me whats going on- NOT you-" he pointed at Itachi, "Sakura-chan? What is happening?"

Tsunade grabbed his attention, using her 'hokage' voice again,"Naruto. I am calling a meeting tonight. I need all chunin ninja and higher to be gathered for an assembly at Seven tonight."

"Chunin?" he whined, "but I'm still a genin!"

She nodded with a smirk, already having thought it out, "Which is why I will have Sakura personally tell you everything. Probably even more than what the chunin will find out. BUT only if you get everyone together for the meeting. Seven tonight, that's more than enough time to track down all necessary people, don't you think?"

I bit back a sigh, forcing a smile on my face. That sneaky little snake of a hokage! I knew what she was doing. Pretty clever actually. By getting just the chunins together, not only would it make it so the village didn't find out, but also cut out Naruto from that loop. She needed him to be confronted on a personal basis- Sasuke was after all his best friend, and who better than me- Haruno Sakura, the one who had avoided facing the issue sense I found out myself, to tell him about it.

It wasn't healthy I know, but I just wasn't ready. This made it so I would have to- but I would also have Naruto right there.

Naruto nodded with a squinty eyed grin, "You can count on it Tsunade-baachan!" And with that, ran out the door. Disaster adverted for one more day.

Tsunade pointed to the paper in my hand, slightly crumpled from the tisfit with Naruto, "Well, off you go. And Sakura- don't try anything funny..." she warned, actually afraid I might do something. I was bold- very bold.

Not THAT bold.

I nodded with a grin, "Alright" and Itachi followed wordlessly behind me.

"You know...Naruto is actually a good guy. He's really caring and he makes an impact on just about everyone he comes in contact with it seems.." I found myself saying, as we walked towards the hospitality wing. "....I just wanted you to know that- because you never may see it when he is...threatening to kill you," It was hard not to laugh at the irony, but I forced myself to keep talking, "but it's true. He is a good man." I repeated.

Itachi for a moment was silent, as if considering what he would say back, if anything at all. "Though, what about my brother. What would you have said about him? ....Was he a good man, Haruno?"

His voice was expectant- him not really asking a question out of curiosity, more in attempts to bring up some silent point. Even a question could be a statement when used correctly.

"No." I said after an elongated moment, "No...I wouldn't have I suppose. You see, time changes people Uchiha."

After no response, I decided to elaborate- not even myself, sure why I was. Perhaps a small part of me wanted the Uchiha to understand why I was hurting- understand the pain he inflicted on his brother effected more people than he could understand. Make him see reason as to why I would still work with him, even though I wanted to blame everything on him. Make myself see reason, perhaps.

"If you asked me that question say five years ago, when Sasuke left- I would have told you he was a great man that had a new way of achieving things. But now, I will tell you who he actually is-" I paused, correcting myself, "Who he was, I mean."

"Uchiha Sasuke was a selfish, mentally disturbed young man who caved under pressure from influences from the past. We actually have terms for people in his condition in the medical field. Some would say clinically depressed, others extreme melancholia, though both are roughly the same diagnosis. The person's dark mood and set of mind makes it so that they do, and pursue things, they normally would never. Sasuke just couldn't handle letting you live and in the end it destroyed _his_ life."

Itachi responded, still not making his point clear to me, though I knew that there was never a word waisted with this man, "And yet you seem sadened by his death...? Why would it matter to you, if a ninja who betrayed you with no intention of coming back, died?"

As I lead him down the hallway, it seemed as if his question echoed in my head, and all I could do was shrug until my answer slowly came to me, "Well...he was in my team, my class at the academy...I don't know. He's just always been there." Suddenly I found myself laughing slightly at memories when Sasuke was still around, "Did you know, like all the girls had a crush on him? And that didn't exclude me of course. He was the dark mysterious boy, like a puzzle all the girls wanted to solve. I thought that with my high intellect, I'd have a better shot then the other girls. ...I guess all it got me was a broken heart and a stiff neck."

I gave a weak smile again. I just couldn't seem to stop talking now...

With another pause, I tried to answer his question more directly, shaking memories from my head, "I'm not sure why Uchiha, I guess there will always be apart of me that will hold Sasuke as my close teammate and friend. Because...against what Sasuke thought was true- you just can't cut some bonds, no matter how far you go, or what you do. Even in his death, I will always see him as my friend and Alli."

"And so, you see this as my fault." A pure statement as a fact, not an actual question.

Though for some reason, I paused again. I didn't want to just speak and say something foolish I didn't mean. Not only was I representing myself, but also Konoha, and Tsunade...even Sasuke. And then, I found myself saying the weirdest things..

"No...actually...I don't think I do. I guess five minutes ago...but...Sasuke made his decisions. I want to blame you...I want to so bad..but...that would be wrong of me. That's not what justice is either, is it.."

I truly did want to blame Itachi. Even before I had. It was easy to blame Itachi. It was easy to blame any one person and take out all your pain and anger on that person as if that would make your life perfect. And yet we laugh at faerie tales claiming them to be the rediculous ones.

"Time changes people." he responded, repeating my words that rang true in my ears. Yes. I suppose it did, didn't it?

We came to the door, and I turned around towards him as I opened the door, "This is your room. At least...I think it is. Her writing is so sloppy, its hard to tell..."

Itachi didn't respond, and began walking in, though I stopped him, "Ne Ita- Uchiha, um...why are you helping us? I...you don't have to answer, I'm just curious."

He made direct eye contact, face blank and void of any emotion, "I am following orders."

"So you don't want to be here then?"

"I never said that."

"So you want to be here?"

He smirked, turning around and walking into the room, talking over his shoulder, "I didn't say that either, Haruno-San."

The door slowly came to a close, leaving me at an unsettling feeling of both anger, amusement, and frustration. To be honest, I knew it would take a miracle for me to ever enjoy his company- but I knew that I wouldn't secretly plot his downfall while he was here.

I wasn't expecting much more though. I couldn't imagine ever having to be around the Akatuski for more than a day. I would go crazy. There was just too much hatred and too much anger for me to simply put it aside and move on. Tsunade could, but it was more difficult for me. I could hold grudges- and they definitely were no acception to that.

With this done, I headed to the main hospitlity office, heading to the desk clerk, slightly catching the young desk worker off guard.

"Ah Haruno-sama! Uh, what can I do to help you-" she mumbled in a frenzy, trying to organize the cluttered work space as if I might scold her. She obviously hadn't seen Tsunade's office yet.

"Yes, I need a room better set up in our hospitality area. We need six more cots, pillows, the works really." She was writing down the words quickly, trying to keep up with my fast paced commands, "-Oh, and make sure they are nice too. These are very important guests and it is the duty of Konoha to properly provide and welcome them- understand?"

"Yes'm."

"Oh- that needs to be done _before_ the morning. Preferably before sunset even." She picked up her pen again, looking a bit overwhelmed. "And don't enter unless there is no one inside. I don't want our current residing guest to be disturbed- Breakfast needs to be prepared for a total of seven people- better yet say ten just to be sure, make sure it is hot and fresh, delivered no later than 7 AM. Don't worry about room service, we will figure something out. These people need total and complete privacy- please don't send people barging in AND-" she gave me a look of horror as I'm sure her hand had began cramping, "That's all.." I finished, walking off, holding in my laughter.

I took the shortcut back to the Admin Wing of the government building, heading to Tsunade's office, and as usual, walking right in.

"Alright, I am done with that task. I have given commands to the hospitality workers," I explained, moving around papers so I could walk to the desk without trampling some unfiled document, "And it will be all set up for them before they get here. Now what else would you like me to do?"

Tsunade looked up from a large stack of papers, "I am working on financing that has fallen behind- would you mind joining Shizune in the filing department? If you could, try to spend the next few hours supporting the branches that need it. At 5 tonight, you can leave and go find Naruto- explain everything. And make sure he knows that he can't come on the missions- make sure he gets it! You two are like siblings- he should listen to you.."

"Hai."

And that is how the remainder of the afternoon was spent. Nothing to look forward to but papers, by the literal thousands I am quite sure, then after this, only more office work that a ninja generally tried to avoid. I would like to say I was used to it- and generally I was- but it did get rather tiring. The worst part? Even when I worked with them for a considerable amount of time- they were still backed up. Shizune really wasn't kidding.

I wasn't used to taking orders from other officials- I was always giving them. I even had to take an order or two from the hospitality desk clerk- which seemed more ironic to me than actually degrading.

And then finally, five came around.

"Bye guys-" I waved to the pharmaceutical workers. Because of the possibility of war, all prescriptions and antibiotics were being massed produced, and I was scent there to help out in both production and packaging. "Best of luck getting caught up- not going to lie- it only gets worse from here. Keep strong." I encouraged as I walked out the door.

It was nice to walk out of the building, another work day completed. I loved my job, but just as much as I loved my job, I loved my life, my freedom. Each moment out of the office was treasured, especially now that I understood that my minutes of freedom might be limited. It almost made me feel...normal. I always wondered what it would have been like to not be a ninja. I always tried to picture myself as a homely mother, with the most exciting mission being an emergency trip to the grocery store before the pie needed to come out of the oven.

I did want a simple life...but at the same time, I loved my life just as it was. Change just wasn't a thing I didn't like all that much. I was a numbers person. I liked thinking, knowing the variables, knowing the outcome before it happened...but change...change means new numbers, new variables...new everything. Change sucked.

And this...was a _big_ change.

I headed to the Ichiraku ramen stand, knowing that my biggest 'to-do' for the night had yet to be accomplished.

I had to tell Naruto.

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"Wow Sakura-chan! Making dinner for me at your apartment- I feel so honored! I had to explain to Hinata that it was a just friends kind of thing. She gets so worried sometimes..." he trailed off, baffled by her self consciousness it seemed. To someone who was so confident, I assume it must be an odd characteristic.

I gave a fake smile, "Of course..."

It was hard to be sincere, knowing that in a few moments, I would change his life forever. It almost wasn't fair for Tsunade to assign this to me.

While I was doing the last touches on the food I was preparing, Naruto was making small talk about his latest missions, inner Sakura having to often remind outer to "Mm-hm" and "Really?" every now and then. We both understood neither was paying attention, but as long as Naruto didn't find out I was fine with it.

I finished chopping the green onion, adding it into the reducing sauce to add a more savory taste in the dish. I purposely was preparing a more challenging meal, making it so at least some of my mind had to stay focused on the food and not on how depressing life was becoming for Konoha. Pans were on every burner, each having a separate part of the meal lightly steaming, waiting to be served.

I wasn't bound to open a restaurant or anything, but I had found that when put to the test, I was a fairly skilled cook. After moving out of my parents house, I realized just how little I had known about cooking, or cleaning and for the first few months it was crash and burn. With time though, I managed to perfect a system that kept my healthy and apartment presentable and clean at all times.

I removed on the the pans from the burner, giving the colorful vegetables a slight shake/toss before spreading across the rice I had prepared and separated into two bowls. I turned back to the oven, flipping the main entree to the other side, then pulling it off quickly to reveal a perfect sear on both sides. I carefully moved the fragile meat onto its corresponding place against the rice, adding a small sprig of watercress as a garnish, bringing the two finished dishes into the living room where Naruto was sitting.

"Wow that looks so good!" he laughed with excitement, "What is it?"

I explained half heatedly as I handed him his bowl, "Its seared cod with sauteed vegetables served over rice with a touch of garlic. It should be pretty good.."

I sat down on the couch across from him, staring at my food as if somehow my vision would make the food disappear. I was hungry. I was. But somehow, knowing what I would have to tell Naruto..made it difficult to move. Let alone eat and laugh joyfully.

Naruto quickly inhaled the food like the bottomless pit he was, somewhere in between monstrous bites commenting on how great is was. I mumbled a thank you, still staring at my rice sadly.

Finally, no longer able to handle the feeling, I forced myself to speak.

"Um Naruto...I've...I've got to tell you something."

And with that, I told him everything.

How Sasuke was dead.

That Orochimaru was taking over the world

Konoha was alleging with the Akatsuki

If he got caught and killed the entire world would die with him

Pretty much...Armageddon had come.

-----

We spent the next many hours laughing, crying, swearing that we would protect Konoha from Orochimaru.

Sorrow.

We were both so angry that it had gotten so far, how strange it was the path we had to take in order to keep peace.

Then we cried more.

How could someone so alive and so strong...with dreams and hopes...

Suddenly be gone?

Just what was death exactly? People say that when one dies, they simply live on in our hearts. But that doesn't make sense. If Sasuke was alive...at all..I would know. I would feel it. It wouldn't hurt so bad. Memories didn't keep someone alive. That's why death was so feared, and life was loved. It was like a pact made at birth. You are allowed to live, make memories and love, but give it all away at death.

Only a memory to those alive.

I missed Sasuke. It was a weird concept to me, missing someone that was dead. It was as if a part of your mind still expected them back, as if they were just gone on a trip. What would I ever do if I saw Sasuke again- just walking down the street? Would I cry, run up and say 'You scared me so bad!' or would I secretly smirk as if a part of me knew he would come back.

But I knew better.

Sasuke would never be back.

All I had was my memories, and the picture of team seven...

And he wasn't even smiling.

-------------------

"Wake up! Sakura don't you-"

I found it difficult to keep myself awake long enough to hear the shouts through my door. But even in my dead tired sleep, I knew the voice of my angry mentor.

"-Break down this door I swear it if you-"

And I was back asleep agai-

Wait..

Break down my what?

....Shit!

I practically flew up from the ground, moving so quickly to open the door I doubt I even touched the floor.

"Two! Thre-"

I threw the door open as quickly as I could, hoping that she wouldn't punch me in place of the now open door. I could barely stand, let alone process anything, but at least I still had my door.

I would cry if I had to buy _another _door after it being demolished by Tsunade's impatience.

"Well, I'm glad to see you awake.."

I cracked my eyes open, the light still a dim morning glow. Sunrise.

"Wha? I don't have to be there till 9 today..." I mumbled, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

"Yeah but I need someone to be there in the hospitality department for the guests arriving in less than an hour."

"...Where are the hospitality workers? They have a problem with doing their job?" It was still generally difficult for me to funtion, but at least I could somewhat comprehend and converse. It was a start.

"They are filling in for the pharmacy, packing the prescriptions seems as they don't have the knowlege to create it."

I opened my eyes more fully, forcing myself awake further. When it came to mornings, I was a disgrace to the ninja name.

"Well where is the pharmacy staff? Decided they would ALL take the day off?" I stated sarcastically

"No, they are in the filing department."

"Where is the filing staff?"

"Financial Wing"

"Where are the accountants then?"

"Organizing my office."

I paused, glaring at her slightly, "And why aren't _you_ organizing your _own _office, HOKAGE-sama?"

"Psh. I need a break." she crossed her arms lazily, as if she would break from exhaustion. I couldn't believe my ears.

I opened my mouth, taking in a deep inhale to let her have it. "Tsunade you little- You can't do this! The world is coming to an end, and you declare you need a break so you can go drink yourself to oblivion?! Half the people aren't even in their proper businesses all because you want a-"

"Thanks Sakura- make sure the Akatsuki is in my office at noon- Oh you need to be there too. Bye!"

And with that, she disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Though I was frustrated by her lack of commitment, it encouraged me. I couldn't help but smile. She believed things were getting better and more hopeful. If she didn't, she would never have left and would be at her office night and day.

Things would _have _to be alright if she was forcing others to do her work again. I still didn't like the idea of teaming up with Akatuski, but already, things were getting better.

I walked back into my apartment, passing Naruto, still asleep on the couch. I'm sure Hinata would be worried sick, but I wasn't going to wake him.

Last night was a hard night for both of us, and perhaps the only escape from it was in our dreams.

Now that Sasuke's death was confronted for the both of us, it hurt like...well, like death. He was our teammate, we would have died for him, either of us. It was tempting for me to just crawl back in bed and cry more, but I knew that I couldn't keep running away. Naruto had taken it just as hard, though I knew that he wouldn't give up. He would drive to be better and keep getting stronger. Though for right now, he looked so peaceful...

I wouldn't wake him up.

I quietly got ready for the day, preparing a small dish of tamagoyaki for Naruto with a note explaining why I left and didn't wake him up. With said events done, I left my apartment and headed to the office, slightly dreading today. I did not like Itachi, I did not like his organization.

I did not like the Akatsuki.

I was soon at the office, entering from a completely different side of the building than I was used to. How did you like that. One day at the top, telling everyone what to do and how to do it, then the next being the one to have to take all those orders- MY orders.

Though generally everything should be ready, as I told them to get it done before the end of the night, all I really would have to do was check to make sure it got done.

I knocked on the room I left assigned to Itachi, not sure what to expect.

Would Itachi call through the door, or open it, in hopes to scare whoever was on the other side? Perhaps he wouldn't respond at all.

Though he did neither. After no answer, I check for his chakra, and it wasn't there.

I wasn't worried. He wouldn't be stupid enough to do anything reckless that would cause an uproar. Itachi was a by the book person as far as I could tell. And truth be told, I really didn't care where he was, as long as I didn't cross paths with him until I had to.

I walked in the room, and my mouth all but fell open.

Tsunade gave them one of the nicest rooms we had, surprisingly. It was like a mini house really. There was a kitchen, laundry room, and living center with TV and surround sound, and there was a second floor to it! Almost like a pent house in a big city...just in the central office building in Konoha..

The place even had a color scheme- red and black. I couldn't help but wonder if it was done purposely or if it was all ironic. The walls had earth toned red paintings, furniture was black leather, and the place, generally, was huge!

...This place was better than my apartment....

_Not_ fair!

I walked around the place, which was neat as a pin. There was one blanket thrown out across the couch, where I am assuming Itachi slept the previous night (Were S-ranked criminals allowed to sleep? ....) and I neatly folded it and laid it across the arm of the couch. I continued doing a passing-by check of the room, finally noting the time.

It was 6:30 AM, and they were to be expected at 7:00, right when breakfast was to be delivered. I secretly hoped that the food was being prepared by someone- I didn't have time to fill the '10 person' order I had given yesterday, even if I had a full hour to do it. And most definitely not in 30 minutes.

I walked upstairs, happy to see that there were cots rolled out on the floor, an extra pile of pillows and blankets in case they required more. With a nod of approval, I walked back downstairs, trying to do a general cleaning for politeness sake. Personally, I couldn't care less if there were cockroaches crawling on the wall and no clean dishes- but I wasn't representing me. I was representing the village of Konoha- and as time passed after becoming an adviser, I learned to swallow my pride and bite my tongue when necessary.

Just as I was dusting off some of the wall decorations, the door cracked open, followed by various voices and emotions. There was excitement, and frustration, resentment

And I physically froze.

And then they all filed in, still unaware of my presence for a small moment.

The Akatsuki members. They were here.

And then they froze, most likely unsure if I was one of the personnel who knew they were coming, or if I was someone at the wrong place, wrong time.

To me it felt like a bit of both.

"Can I help you ma'am?" One of them spoke cautiously, slightly making me jump as if I had been caught off guard, doing something wrong. He seemed to lead the group, standing in front of the group of men, donning red spiky hair.

This must be the leader of the group.

...Damn him to hell.

The very aura of the room...was power. Though strangely....it wasn't evil or in your face. Perhaps that's what scared me the most. What if...through some strange, unbelievable mistake...they were just normal guys...?

It couldn't be!

I bowed down at the waist, being sure that I was 'hospitable' and polite, regardless the unladylike things inner Sakura was screaming at the group as a whole.

"Um..I'm Haruno..Sakura. I am Tsunade's advisor-" I stood back up, for the first time gazing over the group of men, taking note of each individual, hoping that I would be able to use my memories later, "and I came here to welcome...YOU!" I shrieked, not believing my eyes.

This was...no! Impossible!

The man!! That man that I woke up next to! That night- that man! That awful, horrid, evil man!

"You!" he whispered with disdain, stepping out of the group closer towards me, as much in disbelief as I was.

My mind snapped, my face flushed a dark dark red as my mind put it together.

One of these men.. these 'evil evil men' as my mind had thought of...

The very organization that I hated so much- every fiber of my being would_ enjoy_ killing one of these men before me-

That's who I had sex with?!

I had slept with an _Akatsuki_ member!

I instantly wanted to cry, rip off my defiled flesh, and burn it. This was...awful! This was-

I froze again, staring straight through the angry blonde and into the wall.

....What if Tsunade found out?!

------------

A:N: It's so fun to write these author notes to you guys. Guess what?! I knew the plot and how it would end- but let me tell you- it is amazing. I started getting it out in detail, and I am in shock at how well it came together. You will love it- oh but don't worry- this story is only beginning. Based off from this right now and how fast each chapter moves, adding in what I still have to write up and more secrets and things that only I the author know- I am thinking this may be a 20-30 chapter story- maybe even longer.

Well- I think that's all for todays bottom authors note. Heck knowing me, I may start adding in one in the middle- Ha- just kidding! I wouldn't do that to my readers...*cough cough smile* Thanks guys, see you next Tuesday!


	4. Meeting with the enemy

Sakura: Gawd...Deidara? I mean- he's a hottie and all...But I was so certain I would be paired up with Itachi in this story!! *pulls out copies of first three chapters* See?! It was the perfect set up- the relationship between Itachi and I- complicated, mysterious, two different people that don't understand eachother... but throwing Deidara in- what gives?!

Midnight: Well for one- I didn't say you _wouldn't _be paired up with him- or even that you _would_ for that matter. *glares at readers that are hopping up and down in their seats* The story doesn't specify. ...Keep it up and I'll pair you with Kakuzu!

Sakura: 0.0;;;; Have mercy!!

Itachi: Besides that Sakura, we already have our own fanfiction that Midnight has YET to finish -at the very climax of the plot. Any explanation there- Midnight *glares*

Midnight: Eh...hehheh ^.^o Well...I'm just so focused on this story... I'll pick it up again...

Itachi: You best do that.

Midnight: .... ... .........

Sakura: Wow. Not everyday the character scares the author. Nice work Itachi!

Itachi: Naturally Sakura. Readers- get reading. Midnight has some more in depth explaining to do...

Midnight: ...Help me...

...No, seriously..

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* * *

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"Deidara-" the spiky haired man took a small step in front again, either trying to maintain his dominance over the group, or prevent a fight from breaking out...or perhaps a mix of both, "Do you know this girl?"

The apparent man- Deidara (the obvious name of Satan)- opened his mouth to speak, and I could feel my stomach churn. I did not want this to get out- perhaps after I had time to think about how I could keep the situation at bay, but at the moment I was completely caught off guard! If this got out I would be the laughing stock of Konoha and I would never see the end of it!

"Well...you see leader-sama-" Oh no, no no no..this would be so bad!

"BREAKFAST!" a loud voice yelled through the open door, cutting off his blabbering mouth. I gave a sigh of relief. Thank goodness.

The circle of guys stated parting, revealing an apron ed 'chef' Anko, wheeling in large dishes of food. I couldn't help but give her the biggest grin, she had literally come at the PERFECT time.

The red haired man, still in control, turned to her as she wheeled past him, giving her a suspicious glare. Perhaps if it were anyone else, it would have worked too...though being Anko, it meant little to nothing.

Anko rolled her eyes, a bit of her southern attitude peaking through, "Pa-lease. Back off, I'm not an assassin I'm just your freakin' cook. Chill out spiky. -Hey Sakura!" she waved with one hand, as if she hadn't been telling off one of the most powerful men in the world only a second ago.

"Sakura- you're looking pale..everything alright?" She continued to push the cart into the kitchen, watching me for an answer.

"Uh...no..I'm fine Anko. Just...tired. Tsunade made me fill in for the hospitality unit, so here I am."

I could feel the man's stare (glare) on my back, most likely not enjoying being talked down to by Anko. Oh well.

His fault for glaring at her.

Regardless for how inner Sakura felt, I still felt compelled to give him a bit of explanation about her, seeing as she failed to introduce herself properly.

"That's Anko- she's our chunin instructor and also trains some of our elite academy students that show promise sssoooo...why she is cooking is...odd." I turned away from 'Spiky' as Anko called him, hoping for some form of answer. Though I was thankful she had come, she was now serving only to make the atmosphere fairly tense between the two segregated people types. Konoha vs. Akatsuki.

(Why was I not suprised?)

Anko explained, letting the cart go and walking back around into the main hall, "Well Tsunade ran into me today, and, would you believe it Sakura- the cooks great Aunt's uncle's wife's twice removed sister-in-law's mother died and he had to go to a funeral-"

"Oh how tragic" I said sarcastically, though Anko didn't catch onto that part

"I know right? But so I told her I would fill in. I can't really cook worth anything...in fact I've never seen black tamagoyaki before...but...it may be good right?"

I sighed. And here I thought I was slightly creative for making such a homely meal this morning.

"Uh...sure Anko. I'm sure carbonized tamagoyaki is...all the rage." I choked out, though was inwardly groaning. That sounded terrible! How could you BURN eggs? I can understand sticking to the pan, or falling apart....but when it starts changing color...shouldn't you know to take them off the burner then and there? ...Or at least when you started to see black spots? I mean- flames coming off the carbon laced morsels should be a good signal that something is VERY wrong indeed.

"Oh, you know Anko, Tsunade also told me that the cook has this brother, just out of culinary school that would love to have this opportunity, so how about you get back to your desk and get your work done? I'm sure your behind."

"Yeah, but that's why Tsunade has Kakashi doing my work-"

"Oh for heaven's sake!" Tsunade that weasel! I'd kill her myself if I didn't adore her so much..

Before she did anything else wrong, like, I donno, insulting our guests again, or giving them burnt food, I stormed to the kitchen and _politely _kicked her out the door and slammed it shut. I wasn't sure who was doing the most damage, Tsunade or Anko. Both were making it incredibly difficult in making my job of welcoming them, easy.

I turned around, giving my neck a roll as if trying to ease the building stress, and then realized that I had just shut myself in with THE Akatsuki. This was beginning to feel like a cheesy nightmare.

About this time, the men had slowly migrated towards the kitchen, staring questionably at the food. God, men in large groups could be so stupid, no matter how smart they were as individuals.

"She didn't poison it..." I called out, still standing by the door. Well, that was unless of course one could die from over exposure to carbon- in which case we would all be doomed.

I grabbed the handle to dismiss myself, feeling it would be best to let them settle and eat in private without a Konoha villager staring down their every move.

"Wait- Haruno...is it? I have some questions for you.."

I gave a shrug over my shoulder, "I don't think I am authorized to answer any questions about Konoha- I am sure you can understand." I stated plainly.

Suddenly, the door frame began to shift like clay until this...thing...MAN came out of it...like a plant... or something. I could feel my heart rate accelerate, and I knew that there was no way I was getting out until that thing was not sticking out from the wood.

The Akatsuki...just who were these people?

I backed up by sub conscious reflex, silently warning me that he was dangerous and to get away. I ended up backing right into the leader, who lightly, but firmly, grabbed my forearms so I couldn't escape or run. Not like I would anyways. There was a giant plant man sticking out from the freakin door, at least the leader was human..

"I insist."

"Uh...ok." I said, sounding rather dumb and slightly breathless. I didn't get afraid easily, but being in a room full of freakishly strong criminals that you have hated sense you learned about them was a rather frightening experience and it had officially begun to affect me. My nerve wasn't near as strong as it had been with just Itachi, and even then I was rather restrained in comparison.

I was awkwardly drug to the black leather couch, where I sat down in the corner of one end, and slowly the group filtered into the wide room, taking places on the couch, or standing against the wall, but generally all there in a group again. They were each holding a plate of questionable food, poking and prodding around it's contents for an only _partially _burnt morsel. (There was nothing left unscathed entirely)

True to her word, it appeared as if Anko had cooked it all with a blow torch...and knowing her, she very well just might have.

"Alright, seems how we will be working together...as much as I hate it, it will just save your hokage from asking. Please relay our identities back to her, as I don't want to waste any time." Spiky stated in a monotone lull, looking around the room for the first to speak up.

At first the room was silent, until an eerie voice spoke up loudly, "I'm Hidan, this is Kakuzu."

I stored away each face and name for later use, hoping that anything I learned I could use against them one day. After all, we weren't permanent allies or anything, and it would be stupid to miss this opportunity.

"Uchiha Itachi." The eerie, smooth voice of Itachi finesed through the air, "Though we have already met, Haruno-san."

I gave a nodd to him, accepting his statement with silent communication and respect. It was funny. Out of all of these men, I perhaps hated Itachi the most, though still, I would feel more comfortable with him than any of the other men. ...It was such an odd revelation.

"I'm Hosigake Kisame- and I am quite certain we have met before sort of -You're the kyuubi kid's teammate right? You grew up quite fast huh, Sak-ur-ra?"

I tried not to roll my eyes as he used my name pointing out the irony of growing, with my name being that of a plant. Lame really. And slightly creepy.

...No human being should be blue. I would have to do some studying on him when I got home. At least the plant guy made sense, this guy was blue for Christ's sake.

"I am known as Aka suna no Sasori"

Ah. I had heard of him. Though I knew that beastly box wasn't his real identity, it was quite the adrenaline rush to be in the room with a mad group of killers. Made me feel dangerous, petrified, and maniacal at the same time.

"I'm Zetsu- hi." A voice came out from the wall beside me and started rippling like water, revealing the face of this 'Zetsu' plant man.

"Uh...hi...Zetsu..." I forced myself to say pleasantly, though my voice cracked slightly from fear. For some reason the idea of being able to morph in and out of walls slightly alarmed me. I mean I could walk through walls by shifting chakra and all...by STAYING in a wall? How could one do that for an extended ammount of time? Wouldn't that rip one in half? ....Yet another subject I would have to study when I got home.

Spiky cleared his throat, glaring at the blonde. After no response, the leader all but growled, "Deidara, _now_."

With a loud (childish) sigh, the blonde tossed his head to the side, giving me a disinterested look "I'm Deidara, yeah?"

His voice was the literal personification of the word 'annoyed'.

I wanted to glare at the guy. I didn't like him, he was overconfident, and rude, and stubborn, and..GR!

The leader ignored his more than sarcastic introduction, introducing himself, "And I am the leader of the Akastsuki Organization." The leader? That was his name '_The_ Leader'?

"So you're _the leader _then?" I meant it in a -that's your name?- kind of way, but he took it in an 'are you the leader' sort of way, and responded in a firm nod.

Inner Sakura was already creating scenarios in her head the very moment he gave his title, laughing hysterically.

_"Hey the leader- how you doing today?"_

_"So, the leader, Tsunade wants to see you to discuss a new development."_

_"The Leader- are you busy...the Leader??"_

I almost laughed out loud, but deciding Anko had done enough to upset the man as it was, I took a more careful approach, "Um..the ...leader...?" It was so hard not to laugh.. "Um...please don't think me rude, but..I can't call you that. ...You _aren't_ my leader."

The room fell into a tense quiet, all the men staring at me with shock written all over their faces- even the eyes of Itachi were lit up with wonder, or perhaps it was just the lighting. (For a Uchicha was never- NEVER surprised.)

Apparently, telling the leader such a thing was not something done. Oh well.

He slightly glared as if holding back anger, biting out somewhat in well measure, "Then you may address me as Pein, if you so desire to address me." After a slight pause, he continued, "And aside from this burnt abomination," he pushed it away onto the edge of the couch as if the dismissal would hurt it's feelings or something, "We do appreciate your warm welcome."

He continued still, much more talkative than the Uchiha "...You seem to be most calm about our arrival Haruno. Always wondered what it would be like to be on the 'dark' side?" He wasn't trying to play mind games like that of Itachi, instead, curiosity seemed to bite at him as to why I wasn't glaring and yelling at him like my teammate might have been.

I gave a plain, disinterested shrug, "Not really. I, long story, was assigned to welcome you guys here. It's not personal, it's business. If it WERE personal, it wouldn't be this smooth. I don't like any of you at all. Personally-" I elaborated, "I hope you all burn in hell." My eyes landed on Deidara and I allowed myself an icy glare.

The room fell silent again at just how blunt I could be. Oh well. They would learn.

"However- It's NOT personal. It's business. Therefore I smile." I moved my gaze back around the room with a thoughtful expression, "I smile because I represent Konoha- which needs assistance. I smile because this brings hope to my village- even if it goes against everything I think is right or wrong. In the end- because it does help, it makes it so I_ can _smile. Strange as it may be I suppose..." I slightly trailed off, perhaps even confusing myself in the end. I wasn't quite sure about how I felt about the issue, but it was my job. I would do my job at all costs.

Pein gave a slow nod, and generally a wave of acceptance, and intrigue washed over the room, "Interesting. Yes, you will do nicely I believe.." Pein all but whispered, more in thought to himself I suppose.

"I beg your pardon?" I asked, confused by his last statement. What would I do nicely? I wasn't even quite sure of what he was getting at. He showed little interest in me as a female, so my more basic senses were at ease, though this meant something along the lines of my abilities- which also made little sense. What could I possibly posses that Pein would want? Considering he had a room full of incredibly talented young men in their prime, I was a weak girl to be crushed.

Pein turned to Itachi, ignoring my presence entirely suddenly. "Did she talk so much- and so bluntly when you were here?"

The man's face held no emotion, though there was amusement in his eyes, "If not more so. Do recall she is a member of the kyuubi's squad. Perhaps some of her unbecoming traits can be linked back to him and his brash emotions."

I rolled my eyes with a scoff. Psh. No. Not Naruto. Tsunade. If they wanted to see 'unbecoming' all they had to do was wait until noon and they would see the farthest thing from lady like. Compared to her, Naruto was a British man at tea time.

After being ignored for some time, I shifted slightly, preparing to leave. If they had no further use of me, I prefered to be gone. I didn't like them. Nothing would ever change that.

"Can I go? I know I look rather young, but I am needed here in my line of work as Tsunade's adviser and medic. I have a bunch of things I am required of and I would prefer to get started..so if I may-" I started to get up, though Pein cut me off casually, as if I hadn't asked to be dismissed at all. I shifted my weight back into the couch with an inaudible sigh. Perhpas I would never get away from them.

"Itachi has informed me of Konoha's plan. He said that it was fairly clever and well thought out."

I gave a nod, still in hopes he would let me leave.

"...He also said that it was created by _you_." he gave me a curious side glance, "Is this true?"

I gave another slow nod, slightly on the defensive. This Pein...just what was he getting at?

"Haruno- was it? Please do tell me about your skills and attributes." Though his words were polite, his voice was stating it as a command.

Inner Sakura was snapping her fingers and bobbing her neck, declaring some form of 'he did not' though outer Sakura just stared at him in even greater confusion. Why was he asking me these things? My skills didn't matter, because it was unlikely I would have to use them. After the plans were set and they left, it was likely I would never see them again.

I was simply there to help them plan, send the team out and help out to keep homeland at bay. With the Akatsuki being the other team, I wasn't needed any more. I could stay here and help Konoha at the heart. My skills were no longer necessary, which was good for me I think.

"Well..uh...I'm a medical ninja- or at least- that's my specialty." I stated dumbly, not really thinking I should be the one bragging to them. Rather hypocritical in my mind, "For a normal ninja, I've got really good chakra control..."

I noticed Itachi's nod from my peripheral vision which gave me some encouragement. If Itachi could agree, maybe I didn't sound as ridiculous as I felt "And I think that I am very good at planning and using my mind's intelligence to outhink and outwit my opponents."

"I see." he stated, dropping the subject, baffeling me further.

Gosh, if he was going to make such a big deal about asking me all these things, the least he could do was tell me why!

I took the opportunity in the silence to stand up and sway things into my control, hoping to get out of the area. "Alright, before I go, I just want to explain a few things-" I walked around the spacious area as if taking them on a tour, "As you can see, here's the living room, kitchen, down that hall there's like...a lounge I guess, the other side of the hall is the laundry room, and at the end of the hall is the stairs to the second floor- that's where all your cots are. I hope it isn't too awkard with all you sleeping in the same room- but it's rather spacious so it shouldn't be awful..um..OH- Tsunade wants us all- myself included- to be in her office noon sharp- Uchiha can take you there I'm sure...um...I think that's everthing..."

Pein gave me a dismissing nod, and with a thank you, I practically bolted to the door. The men had dispersed throughout the entire area, either exploring, or unpacking...or whatever it was that S-ranked criminals did...and with a feeling of accomplishment, I grabbed the door handle, turning it slowly, and opening the door.

Just as I was about to walk out, the door was forced shut, an arm holding it closed. I followed the arm back to its owner, wanting to groan. Deidara.

"Not so fast. We've got to talk."

I could feel a tingle run down my spine. I turned around facing the inevitable person I was hoping would just fall off the face of the planet and never be heard of again.

"What?" My voice wasn't sharp, more tired and weary. You could tell the stress of being in the same room with such a crowd was starting to catch up with me and ware me down.

"You didn't tell me you were the Sanin's pupil."

"Yeah well I was hung over, pissed, and naked for that matter and...you didn't exactly tell me you were an S-ranked criminal so if you'd excuse me-" I pulled the door open again, though it slammed right back shut.

"But you see- I'm allowed to be a bit hypocritical. I'm an S-ranked criminal. Everyone expects me to be bad, so really, I'm just living up to your expectations. You though? My, talk about a complete fail."

I rolled my eyes, pulling the door open again, though, again, it closed.

"Would you quit it?" I hissed, releasing the door handle and crossing my arms, glaring viciously. Without even realising it, when I had gripped the handle so forcefully after it shut again, I had actually crushed it into a small bit of crumpled metal no bigger than a quarter. I wasn't even aware my chakra had been leaking out from my anger. I did have quite the temper around this man for some reason.

"Oh- you've got a temper to?!" Deidara laughed, noting the bit of destroyed metal, mocking me further, "Crushing doorknobs everywhere- what? Do you smash unsuspecting mailboxes when you get _real_ angry? Vicious thing aren't you?!"

"Oh that's it!"

Suddenly, I was leaping into the air, pushing him over the large leather couch and landing the both of us roughly onto the ground.

"You DO have a temper!!" he smirked as I landed on him, both hitting the ground with a loud thud.

"Shut up!" I hissed, punching him hard across the face.

At first the look on his face was that of pure shock- he didn't think that I would..or that I even could perhaps. Either way it was his mistake. His mood quickly changed as he also became angry that I dared to strike him.

He kicked me off of him with a great amount of force, jumping up onto his feet, though a bit too slow. I had grabbed the ceiling fan while I was flying in the air, and reversed my impact into a swinging motion to pump my legs, and kicked him into the wall.

Aw man, Tsunade would kill me...

I gracefully landed on the ground like a coiled cat ready to attack, only to be shoved backwards onto the ground, hitting the back of my head roughly, then being punched with great force in my abdomen. I was slightly sprised at the force, if I hadn't used chakra to cushion the blow, his strength from that one punch alone would have been enough to bruise my internal organs and put me in a comatose state for at least a couple days- then in the hospital for a couple months afterwards.

...I would have quite the nasty bruise in the morning from this.

I jabbed a palm strike into a main chakra point into his neck, disrupting his flow of chakra. Another attack like that could truly do damage to me, and I had to be sure such a possibility was minimized. He gave me another glare, most definitely feeling his chakra decrease as mine manipulated his. He raised his hand up to backhand me, which I was slightly dreading. For some reason, it was a complete (no pun intended) slap in the face for a guy to backhand a girl.

I would rather be punched, kicked, stabbed....than be back handed by a guy. Being backhanded meant you weren't even worthy for him to even slap you for real. It was like setting you in a place where you weren't as good as him- not even close. He was your better, and you just weren't worth it.

I did what every girl does, despite all my ninja training. I squinted my eyes shut, bracing for the pain and humiliation sure to come from this one slap alone. Though in that moment, I was pulled up tightly, sending my anger on fire again, and I kicked and thrashed in the air, looking around for my opponent, also begging pulled backwards by a large metal contraption.

"Let me go!" I groweled in a girlish voice to the man behind me, whoever it was, "I'll bash his face in!" I threatened, meaning every word.

Pein burst in, looking shocked, amused, and bewildered all at one time, "What is going on?! How in the world do you two know each other and why are you fighting?!"

"He started it!" I pointed, still too angry to hear how childish I sounded.

"Yeah- I'm sure I did-" he responded sarcastically, twitching against the restraints, itching to keep fighting with me.

"You probably poisoned my drink!"

"Try the other way around -I only sleep with HOT girls"

I could only gape, then try to lounge at him again. No luck. All that came was anger and adrenaline flowed through my veins even quicker.

Pein looked back and forth between Deidara and I, explaining his thought process aloud, "Wait wait, you mean _you_- slept with_ him_?"

The room quieted, and all the men stared at me, waiting for an answer that I refused to give. And it would have worked too- had my face not betrayed me and turned dark red in a more than obvious blush. The once quite room filled with dark laughter.

Pein tried to be professional and act as if he didn't care, though even he was smirking at the irony of 'little miss perfect me' sleeping with the big bad S-ranked criminal.

"So let me get this straight, innocent Konoha girl- sleeps...with one of _my_ members?"

Deidara rolled his eyes as if it were just as embarrassing for him.

I doubted it.

I scoffed, "Pshh, please. I don't remember a think. I was really- really drunk..."

A gruff voice- the voice of Kisame, came behind me (so he was the D-bag that was restraining me..) "You don't remember anything at all?!" A few men joined in the laughter at some joke I wasn't getting, then Kisame attempted to speak through his laughter, "You know kid, I always figured you were lousy in bed. Never imagined there would be any proof though, she can't even remember a thing about you!"

"Shut up!" the both of us shouted passionately, apparently neither of us having the patience to deal with the situation any longer. Deidara continued, shifting his shoulders so Sasori would release him, "Get this metal thing off from me Sasori- I'm done with her." Deidara began to walk off, and I could feel the pressure around my abdomen slacken, and I landed on the ground gracefully.

I ran forward and grabbed Deidara's wrist, being sure to make my eyes as hard and cold as I could, "You are coming with me." I whispered dangerously quiet. Deidara rolled his eyes, but didn't rip his arm away, so I assumed it was a silent agreement he would comply. I walked to the door, stopping to address the leader, "He and I will sort this out. I don't want it getting in the way of Konoha and Akatsuki's alliance. Remember, noon sharp. Both of us will arrive on time, unharmed." I didn't even wait for his permission, merely turning the almost non existent door handle and walking out into the hall.

After a moment of walking silently, Deidara spoke from behind me, just as annoyed as he had always been before, "You better have a reason for this Hanato- or whatever it is- it's bad enough having to ally with this place, let alone running into you."

I sighed, walking at an even faster rate. Perhaps telling Pein we would both returned unharmed was a bad idea, "Its Haruno. And yes I do have a reason okay? Just...just please stop. I have yet to ask you for anything, but I am begging you-" I was almost in tears at this point, the stress of it all was hitting me, and hitting me hard, "If you think you've got it bad, try being the one that actually lives here. You can't understand how hard it is to have to be around people I have been born to hate- my mind can't take it so...please...I don't want to fight ok? Just please.." I kept repeating, not even making any sense to myself anymore.

There was no response from the man behind me- slighlyt unsettling, but I was happy it was not another rude or sarcastic remark. I just couldn't handle it anymore. It was was sheer stress to have to cooperate with the men, and it made my head and body...just hurt in general.

I _did not _like the Akatsuki- and the more time I was around them, the more I was certain of that.

As we walked out the front, the main receptionist gave a wave as we walked by, "Hello Haruno-sama, already done for the day?" she asked with a pleasant smile. It was amazing someone in this building was actually in their proper place- Tsunade most likely forgot about receptionists. I was halfway expecting Konohomaru to jump out and demand to see proper identification...not like he would know what it was when he actually saw it though.

"Aa." I gave her a smile back, "But I'll be coming back later though for a meeting. I doubt my work hours will be anything close to normal for a while."

She shifted around some papers, adding in my allotted time, "Alright, well i will be sure to log you in and out upon your arrival. Have a nice day ma'am."

"You too." I nodded, exiting the building.

The sun had fully risen into the sky now, though it was still fairly early in the morning. It might have been just a bit after eight, maybe a bit sooner. Somewhere around there at least.

"So now can you tell me why you need me? It's not quite a secret that we don't quite get along. Ten minutes and you already tried to kill me."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes for the hundredth time, as I was beginning to feel fairly childish. We continued walking down the streets of Konoha rather peacefully, and I was certain that the expedition would go well. My goal was to get his ring back to him. Now that he was here, there was no reason for me to keep it, and my bonds to him would be broken (for the most part at least)

Just as I was certain, things would go right for at least this one thing in my life as of late- it happened. And when I say it, I mean Naruto. Naruto happened, god bless it.

"Sakuurraa-chhann!!!" he called from the Ichiraku ramen stand, running towards Deidara and I. Inner Sakura slammed her head repeatedly against a shadow wall in the space of my mind, asking 'why' in various ways and languages. Outer Sakura just hoped that if I didn't respond maybe he would get the hint.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Naruto still charging after us. "Speed up!!" inner Sakura squealed, outer Sakura agreeing and picking up the pace to a canter. Deidara walked up faster, confused as to what was going on, "Who is that gu- wait." he paused, eyes concentrated as he thought it out, "That's the kyuubi kid isn't it?"

"Yes!" I hissed, walking even faster as if I were in line for black Friday, you know, walking but really running? (As if no one can tell that you are not actually walking...do we really think we've fooled anyone?) "And if he finds out that you are a member of the Akatsuki then this whole city will freak!"

"Great.." he mumbled, "Any ideas Harusho?"

"Walk faster!" I stated in a whisper, "And my name is _Haruno_! Sakura _Haruno_!!"

Naruto suddenly jumped infront of us, cutting us off. "Hey Sakura-chan!" he grinned obliviously, "I tried to catch you but you kept speeding up."

I almost groaned. How in the world could someone be so blatantly stupid? Naruto would always be Naruto I suppose. Now I had two blonde-haired idiots following behind me. Just great. All I wanted was to give his stupid ring back to him. That was it. Why did I have to deal with Naruto? Why? What was so wrong with my goal that life had to intervene again?

Naruto was suddenly poking my shoulder and leaning in to whisper something, and it was so hard for me to not shove him down to the ground with my superhuman strength. "Ne- Ne...Ne Sakura?"

"What. is. it. Naruto." I forced out through gritted teeth.

"You didn't tell me you had a boyfriend."

Deidara was suddenly laughing from behind me, most likely at my facial reaction, sitting at a perfect look of defense and shock all in one. "N-no he is not!!" I demanded, shoving him away slightly so he wasn't invading my bubble.

Naruto laced his arms behind his head, giving a shrug, "Well then, who is he?"

"Who..is he?" I repeated, trying to find an answer that would make sense. Deidara wasn't wearing his cloak, and in Konoha he wasn't known by appearence...but not like that helped me all that much. Naruto knew the Akatsuki were coming and if I wasn't careful, even he could find out that this Deidara, was THE Deidara from the Akatsuki.

"Um...he...he's uh..." I stumbled, unable to think of anything. Even inner Sakura drew a blank on this one.

"Her cousin." Deidara cut in, donning a charming smile. If I didn't know the inner demon side to him, I would have thought it to be adorable. Though regardless, I was more thankful than any other prominent reaction. Family. Of course.

Naruto gave a questionable look, slightly confused, "But I thought your mom was an only child?"

Deidara made a face as if they had been caught, but I quickly covered, "Yeah, but my dad isn't." At least that part was true, "You remember how I told you about my uncle who is an ambassador?" I added in. It was amazing that when you state 'you remember' people automatically do, even if it never happened. No one wants to feel like they have poor memory. Did I actually have an uncle that was an ambassador? No. But now that I stated it as something that he 'forgot' he will disregard any doubt he had in order to prove his memory useful.

"Yeah, I think I remember you saying something like that Sakura.."

I smirked slightly in triumph. Works every time. I continued, now that I had a firm solid block to build on.

"Yeah well, this is my cousin. He doesn't get to travel much though because he is an ANBU member for the village my Uncle is an ambassador to. They think he might shift loyalties if he visits too much. You know- cause technically his whole family- even his father, is a village member to Konoha"

Deidara looked slightly surprised as my ability to outhink my opponents (or friends) finally kicked in, rather flawlessly too. I wasn't kidding when I told them I was good at it. Using my head was something I could do even in the academy, though years of training under the 5th made those abilities sharpen to a point.

Naruto grinned, waving at the Akatuski member, "Hello Haruno-san" he assumed that he would be a Haruno (which if he actually were my cousin, would be true)

"Hello.." he stated awkwardly, irony so thick I could put up wallpaper with it. Naruto peacefully conversing with an Akatsuki member, the Akatsuki member not trying to kill him, but more so just get away? I wanted to laugh hysterically.

"So where you guys headed?" Naruto asked, still keeping pace with us even after the mystery of my follower was discovered. I just wish he would go away.

"To my apartment." I saw Deidara's brow raise in suspicion, and I suppose if I were in his shoes I would have as well. Going to someone's apartment, just one on one, especially if that one on one was a boy and girl, it sounded very suspicious.

Though he would just have to wait it out. Until Naruto was gone I could talk to him like the person he actually was. Right now, he was my long lost cousin coming over to visit. How quaint.

"No way!" Naruto responded, "That's where I'm headed too!"

I paused in my walk, catching both men by surprise. "Naruto. _What_ were you doing going to my apartment without me? You didn't even ask! You can't just randomly break into my apartment!"

"Sakura- I wasn't breaking in!" He whined back, though in the mood I was in, I was far from caring

"Really now?"

"Yeah- I know where the spare key is. If you have the key, it's not breaking in." he reminded me innocently, still not seeing why it was wrong at all.

I groaned, walking again, seeing there would be no point in trying to reprimand him, "Fine fine, so what did you need there?"

"I left my headband there so I could go training. I just washed it so I didn't want to get it dirty again so quickly."

I gave a nod, trying to find the light in the situation. In a way, it was a good thing that he was coming. I didn't want to give Deidara the wrong idea about my intentions, and plus Naruto being there would make it so we wouldn't kill each other. Tsuande would already have reason to kill me from our last fight- let alone if we had another.

The rest of the trip was silent, until we finally stood at the DOOR of my apartment (I was proud that I still had a door) and I reached into my handbag, grabbing out the key and opening the door.

"Alright come on in guys. I want to do some tyding up, the place is a wreck, but we should all be out of here soon enough." I held the door open, Naruto walking in casually (this was like his second home) though Deidara stood awkwardly in the doorway, staring at me with suspicion.

"Comin in, cuz'?" I asked, giving him the look.

He gave a sigh and walked in, obviously tense about being in a closed off space with two Konoha elite ninja, both trained by Sanin. For all he knew this could all be an elaborate scheme to kill him.

Naruto and Deidara took a seat on the couch and chair in the living room, while I bussed around the place grabbing random cups and dishes, socks, etc while making small talk with the guests. Naruto grabbed his headband, standing up. Thank goodness, he was finally going to leave.

Instead of taking the traditional route to the door, he walked over to me, "So what's for lunch."

I stood up straight, holding the basket of laundry tighter, "Uh...lunch..?"

"Yeah, you're long lost family member is here...you ARE going to cook for him, right?" He asked, slightly surprised that I even questioned it. My eyes widened. Of course. If this WERE my 'long lost cousin' it was both tradition and courtesy to cook for them in their honor- it would be considered rude if I didn't. ...But he wasn't family!! Though, if I wanted to hold up the charade...

"Fine Naruto." I grumbled, shoving the random clothes articles into the washer, "What do you want?"

"No, what does HE want.. Sakura-chan are you feeling well? I've never seen you so inhospitable and angry."

"Peachy."

I stormed into the living room, glaring daggers into Deidara, "What do you want for lunch?" I hissed, hating the feeling of having to serve the undeserving cretin. After a moment of him looking at me with further suspicion, then finally deciding that I was being serious, he gave a shrug, trying to be polite

"Just...rice."

Naruto sat back down on the couch, instantly com- wait. Back on the couch?!

"Naruto I thought you were leaving!" I groaned, now knowing that Murphy's law was perhaps truer than the bible itself.

"Well...Sakura-chan is the best of cooks.. And I can't let your cousin just want rice. I'll take care of it. How about sukiyaki beef, miso, nimono and tempura. That's pretty traditional- oh and some Tsukemono too! I love those little things."

I turned to Naruto, gaping. Literally.

All that food?!

I wouldn't cook that for my sisters wedding- let alone this guy!

"Naruto you nuts?! That will take me hours!!"

"Exactly" he grinned, still not getting it.

He was so hopeless.

Deciding that this would go no where, I walked into the kitchen, grabbing all the bowls and ingredients I would need. It was quite the traditional meal, nothing I didn't know how to make from memory at least, so it shouldn't be too hard at all. To save time, I did many different tasks at one time. There wasn't time to cook it dish by dish, not when both Deidara and I needed to be back at the central office by noon. It was sometimes overwhelming to have so many things going on at one time, though overall, I had learned to master the art of multitasking.

I prepared the breading and coated the vegestables, carefully placing them in the hot oiled pan. I spiced the beef with soy sauce and a touch of gingeroot and fresh minced garlic, giving the pan a slight shake before placing the meat in to sear.

After most of the dishes had been started, I went through a mental checklist, realizing that there was one dish I was forgetting. The tsukemono. I didn't even like tsukemono. After a look through the fridge, I discovered I didn't even have what I needed to make it.

"Naruto," I called out through the kitchen, "I can't make the tsukemono, I don't have the stuff to make it and with everything on the stove I can't leave."

I heard Naruto gasp, then shuffling across the floor, "What?! No- no you have to! I know, I'll run to the store for you. I'm sure you two would love to catch up and all-" And before I could even object, I heard the door open and close.

I gave a sigh of both stress and relief, having mixed emotions about Naruto's departure. I could hear movement from the living room, and suddenly, Deidara was standing in the kitchen, leaning back against the fridge.

"Sooo..." he stated, staring into the various pans of food

"So." I replied shortly, attempting to ignore him. I moved the tempura from the heat, lightly tossing it before setting it aside to cool.

Deidara stood there silently, as if pondering something, then obviously deciding to go for it, spoke up, "Um...so, the kyuubi kid.. We were talking and all."

"Really now." Bland response again. I did not like him. I did not like the Akatsuki. I didn't want to be cooking for him- I didn't want any of it. Yet here I was- doing ALL of it. No one could make me converse right now, not for any reason.

"Yeah actually...you know, he's not a bad guy."

"Well, you'd be surprised. When people take the time to know each other, they almost always realize the other person really isn't so bad."

Deidara raised a quizzical brow, pointing out the hypocrisy of what I had just said.

"I know I know-" I retored with a roll of my eyes (I really had to quit that..) "But this is different. Usually it's just a misunderstanding. I _hate_ you."

"Fair enough." he replied with a smirk. His look quickly changed to one that seemed puzzled and..cautious.

"Hey um...Har...Han..Hach-"

"Oh for goodness sake! HARUNO- Sakura Har-u-no! Not that hard! ...And stop trying to call me by my last name anyhow, feels like I'm in the office already. Sakura ok? Like the flower. Not that hard to remember."

He gave a slow nod, as if attempting to put my name to memory (I highly doubted it) then continued, with that strange expression still across his face, "Right then, Sakura yeah? Well...about that night uh...well.."

"What about it? Wait don't tell me- was there some curse word you wanted to call me but forgot to?"

He groaned, shifting his weight back into the fridge in frustration, "No, that's not it! God you are testy!"

I dropped my saibashi in the pan, turning around to glare at him with as much hatred as I felt inside, "Yes. I. Am. Can you imagine- waking up with absolutely NO memory whatsoever of an ENTIRE night- and all you know is that you slept with some random person, and if that's not bad enough- THEN you find out, they are your worst enemy!?!"

Deidara gave a sarcastic laugh, "Oh um let's see- Well yes I can in fact. Go freakin' figure."

I glared again, walking back over to the stove top with a growl, Deidara walking up beside me, still ranting, "You think I _like_ being here? Like this is some tea party for me? This huge scheme wasn't my idea- you have no clue. Besides, I came here in the kitchen to ask you something."

I snapped out, "Really? Well I don't have anything to tell the likes of you-"

"Just shut up! You think you're so cute with you're snappy comeback but I know you have some-"

"No! You don't get to insult me because this is MY-"

"Stop ignoring the question!"

"What question?!"

"Tell me what you need to tell me!"

"I don't have anything!"

Suddenly, Deidara grabbed my forearms, shoving me to the kitchen wall, my back hitting with a painful smack. I slightly winced, feeling the racking sensation of pain course through my being. He had his arms shifted to both sides above my shoulders, caging me between him and the wall with only inches between us.

"You mean you don't need to tell me- I donno- that you are _pregnant_?!" he yelled in my face, anger clearly portrayed again.

My voice caught in my throat, unable to respond quite yet to accusation I was so shocked.

"I- uh.."

"Yeah that's right I knew- the kyuubi kid told me all about it."

Finally, I found my voice, perhaps the anger of Naruto telling a random stranger my about my non-existent pregnancy fueling my ability to speak.

"No- No no, Deidara, I'm not! I am not pregnant I swear!" It was at this point, both stressful, and comical, though the stress was currently the victor of the two, "...And what a way to treat a pregnant lady- slamming her into a wall."

Deidara still held me there, unconvinced. So I explained about how the tale of my being pregnant came about to cover the information of the coming of the Akatsuki.

"That's...it? That huge story...just for that?"

He back up slightly, then shook his head and moved back forward, taking the opportunity to yell in my face all over again, "You mean to tell me that it was all a huge hoax? Haven't you ever heard of insomnia?!"

"It's a condition upon which the indivi-"

"I know what it is! Next time, say you can't sleep- not that you've gotten pregnant!!" He pushed off the wall and stormed back into the living room, and I could hear the heavy footfalls as if he were pacing.

Looking over all the food, I decided that everything was pretty much finished, and I turned off the burners. Now that Naruto was gone, I finally could get his ring back to him and hopefully put and end to this...confusing event. I washed my hands, drying them off on the small towel by the sink, then walking off towards my bedroom- still hearing Deidara muttering angrily to himself.

Though I didn't fault him. I would be shook up too if I believed that I got someone I hated pregnant. That might make me go insane actually. It was a wonder he didn't do more than slam me into a wall. (Yet another nasty bruise I would have in the morning..at this rate I would look like a lepord!)

I dug into my jewlery box where I had stashed the small trinket, laughing when I found it. A green ring that read green. Perhaps I would miss the commical little thing.

I walked back out from my room, straight to Deidara.

"This is what I brought you here for- now that Naruto is gone at least, here you go." I grabbed his wrist, bringing his palm up. I gently pressed the ring into his hand, closing his fingers around the object, "I found it after I came back to the village." I finished in a whisper, as if it were some sentimental moment or something.

He opened his palm in curiosity, a small grin spreading over his face. He slid it over his index finger, looking up at me again, "I was wondering what happened to it. One day it was just gone suddenly...Thank you Saira-"

"Oh forget it!!" I stormed off, wondering why I was being nice to that cretin for even a moment. If I were wise, I would have poisened the food while I had the chance.

"Wait- Sakura- you're name is Sakura!" he defended, looking both amused and sorry at the same time. ...How was that even possible?

I angrily slammed plates onto the table, attempting to set it and organize food across it, ignoring him entirely again. I hated him. The Akatsuki. I hated them all and when this was over I would jump at the opportunity to kill a single one of them. Especially that one.

We soon found ourselves sitting around the table, Naruto returning to a very silent room, tense atmosphere. Him being as dumb as usual, didn't even noticed and set the pre-made tsukemono on the table amounts the sea of plates and food already set out.

"Itadakimasu"

And Naruto was practically swallowing his food whole- plate and all. It was a rather disgusting sight to see truth be told. Deidara and I, having manners resembling that of a human, ate slowly and actually chewed the food. For a mere moment, it almost felt normal, though after looking at the Akatsuki member, I promptly reminded myself about his rudeness and brutality.

"Sakura.." Deidara stated, halfway looking into my eye, then slightly loosing nerve and adverted eye contact, "This is...really good." he practically had to choke the compliment out, though I still took with with surprise.

"Oh.." I stated dumbly, not sure how to respond. I was geared and ready to respond to any negative statement he could dish out...but a compliment? Rather unexpected..

"Well...thank you..."

It was then that it happened. I smiled. Only for a second, because Inner Sakura went instantly on alert, giving me a speech about the crazy man and how much I hated him. I stood up quickly, ending the split second moment of peace I had come to with him.

"Deidara and I are headed back to the central office. I want to show off my family- you know how I am-" I forced a sincere grin on my face, "And I have a scheduled allotment of time with her in half an hour. Care if we go?"

"No no, of course not Sakura-chan! As always it was delicious." He stood up, shaking hands with Deidara, who gave him a shocked dumbfounded look. He may have had the title of my family, but he was down to the core a villain. Shaking hands with the prey must have been an odd experiance.

Even for me it was unsettling.

And with that, we headed back to the office, ring returned, issues of me not being pregnant sorted out- as far as I was concerned, our lives were back to how they should be.

Completely segregated, laced with disdain and hatred. That's how I wanted it to be.

That's how it would stay.

-----

A/n: Ok so I wanted to write this in the last few chapters but I always forgot to. You see- Sasuke's death- I wanted to give you some background on it- pretty much, where this story came from. This past year, almost 4 or so months ago, 3 people from my highschool got in a car wreck and died.

Now I don't know how big this sounds to one who isn't familiar with death- but it is traumatizing. One of them was a good friend of mine- and let me tell you it's nothing like on the movies. Death is scary- it makes you want to stay inside and not come out for fear of the unkonwn. It makes you loose hope and believe that nothing is worth anything at all anymore. Death makes you want to cry and shake and hold something in your control- but all you can do is cry.

I don't know how many of you have read my profile or anything, but I am a senior in highschool- and when this event happened, I found out at work. On my way to work, I passed by the wreck- unkowning that my friends body was somewhere in the crumpled metal scaps- texing my friends 'did you see that wreck on 160?' After getting off the clock, I was told the news and went ballistic. I didn't sleep that night- I walked out in the streets, it was downpouring ironically. I suppose I'm lucky I didn't catch a cold.

The next day at school didn't even go normally. Zombie children replaced the loud obnoxious highschoolers that ran through the halls inbetween classes- people brought their guitars in and sat in corners and sang praises and hymns- an entire wing of the building was full of counselors and phyciatrists the school hired for that day, where kids could go at will and mourn with their peers. I spend most of the day there myself.

But the hardest part was the fact that I HAD to move on- I din't want to...but it was my job. My responsibility to. I had to keep at life and get my diploma- and that sucked so bad!! When all I wanted to do was curl up in a ball and cry myself to sleep each night, I knew that I had homework- tests, work, kids I tutored that looked up to me. I had a job to do- and it didn't matter that I lost my friend to something to frightening I wanted to run- I had to do my job. Life kept on moving, and I could choose to let it pass me, or suck it up and move with it.

That's where this story was created. When I had nothing left- I wrote. I created. And this idea was formed.

Sakura looses Sasuke- traitor as he was- a good friend and someone close to her heart. Now we all know how tender hearted Sakura is deep down- and such an event would be devastating. Death isn't funny- and a medic like her would know it's destructiveness. Though with the rising threat of Orochimaru- Sakura CAN'T pity- she has her job to do reguadless the fact that her life is falling apart. This story is written around the dark fact that life isn't fair- far from it- and in the end, it's not the strong ones that survive (I mean look at Sasuke) but the ones that have enough guts to stick it out and suck it up.

Happy endings may not truly exist, but I do believe in happy beginnings.

...

I graduate May 14th- 3.78 gpa and have earned enough scholarships to get me 2 years of college free.

I am working towards my career goal of becoming a nurse practitioner. I may not have been able to do a thing to help what has already happened, but in the future- I will be able to help those like my friend.

See you next Tuesday C:


	5. Earthquake

Midnight: *rubs eyes and yawns* Morning. It's Tuesday eh?

Sakura: Yes it is- thus us waking you up so early

Itachi: Or just the fact she has to go to school...

Midnight: Don't even SAY the 'S' word. Only 18 days left you know.

Itachi: I was done with school ages ago

Midnight and Sakura: Glare.

------

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* * *

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I stood up against the wall, listening closely as each statement was said. I was truly getting bored of all of these meetings, though somehow this caught my attention. The Akatsuki all worked together so well- each idea was an advancement from the last, perfectly stated and choreographed to make things move smoothly and efficiently. The intelligence each displayed was shocking...unnerving even.

"Well, that would work wouldn't it?" Kisame stated, looking up at the leader.

Tsunade shook her head, unlacing her hands, "No because if both teams leave at the same time, you're team would loose the element of surprise- key to a successful mission that is executed as planned."

Pein added in, shifting his weight to the wall, "True...but if we wait it out here in Konoha and Orochimaru finds that out, he will immediately send forces to take out both standing threats at once. Trust me when I say you won't want that battle to take place in the city." He paused, a small smirk at his lips, "There won't _be_ a city when it's all said and done."

Sasori nodded, agreeing with Pein's logic, "And who's to say Orochimaru will fight us in person? I would bank on him going after the kyuubi from the shadows while we are busy fighting his henchmen. If he does get the kyuubi, then that's all he needs, and I'm sure he's aware of that."

"Not even we could stop him if he gets a hold of the nine tails..." Hidan added in, fingers laced together in front of his face as if he were deeply concentrated.

Deidara gave a sigh, leaning back in his chair and moving the hair from his eyes, "So what do we do then? We can't leave with them, we can't stay here...what- do we disappear into thin air?" His comment was meant to be sarcastic, though it gave me an idea.

I stood up from where I was leaning up against the wall (I was tired of sitting down) as if a wave just hit me, thoughts flying through my head so fast that it took both inner Sakura and outer to concentrate and patch the ideas together.

"Wait a tick Deidara....that's exactly what you do..." I mumbled, pacing the small space of carpet that wasn't taken up by chairs or mounds of papers. The room's audience all stared at me, waiting for me to explain what I was thinking, though currently I wasn't quite sure how to word it. I just knew it was a good start. After a moment of silence, Tsunade spoke up.

"Come on Sakura- tell us what's going on." She stated, an edge of excitement in her voice.

"Ok" I stated with a grin as if that was the moment I knew what I wanted to say, exactly when I wanted to say it, "So we have been assuming that team one leaves, and then team 2 right? Well, what if the Akatsuki leaves first?" I let the comment sink in, watching people's emotions display across their faces as they thought the possibility over.

I continued on, "See, our problem was- as Deidara stated- that there was pretty much no where to go, and the best option would be to disappear into thin air. ...That's what you've got to do!" I exclaimed, looking around the room triumphantly. They stared at me for a moment, a couple of them giving me the 'you're out of your mind' look.

Pein sighed, "Sakura, be logical. While there are many 'impossible' things we can do- disappearing isn't one of them." He turned his attention back to Tsunade, shooting off a new idea, shifting everyone's focus on him "How about if we-"

"No!" I shouted, slamming my hand down on the desk, winning everyone's focus back, "I'm not stupid Pein- give me some credit too ok?! I didn't mean physically disappear, I meant lay low for a while." He shot me a surprised, and confused look, and I groaned, rather frustrated by having to break it down so far for these Neanderthals.

"Ok come on it's not that hard, I know you can do it! There are sometimes months where we have no information on you- as if you DID disappear into thin air. You know we keep tabs on you so sometimes you have to 'disappear' from us so you can keep striving- and if you think Orochimaru isn't trying to find out what you guys are doing then you are more idiotic than I gave you credit for."

Pein shot me a glare at my insult, and with the mood I was in (still wet from the blasted rain) I shot him one right back, "I know you know what I'm talking about Pein. You're the freakin Akatsuki for christ's sake! If you can't even find a way to lay low for a while as Konoha's team tracks down Orochimaru then we're better off by ourselves anyhow!" It felt so good to yell at him. Venting off some of the anger that I had been feeling from all of this was a great stress reliever, especially considering that at this moment he couldn't do a thing about it.

I did not like the Akatsuki. Never did. Never will, and come however many days, I would wave them goodbye with a flaming torch and a handful of paper bombs.

Pein released his glare, sitting back down in one of the chairs with a sigh, "Fiery as ever...though regardless, yes, we know what you are referring to."

Itachi added in, as if him and Pein could read each other's minds and know right when to jump in, "However that leaves one problem. If Orochimaru should come here while both teams are out of Konoha- what will you do then? You are sending out your best for the first team, correct?"

Tsunade nodded slowly, seeing where he was headed with it

"So who will be here on the defensive? To be honest, I could care less about the city- it's the kyuubi that needs protecting. You can rebuild a city but... If anything happens and the kyuubi is extracted, as stated previously, there is nothing we can do." Itachi gave a small look around the room seeing if there was any contradition to the newest idea, and after no one spoke up, gave a small smirk.

The room fell into a grim silence, my temporary wave of triumph carried back out into a sea of confusion. Itachi...or Pein (I wasn't sure who's idea it was) was right. We were assuming that Orochimaru wasn't planning to attack Konoha right away. Now granted it was more _likely_ that he wouldn't, but you could never be too certain. While my idea had some good merit, there were still holes that it didn't fill.

Damn.

"Well, what if a number of us, say two of the teams or something like that, stay behind? I really don't think we need all of us to take down that waste of flesh." Kakuzu added in, quickly shot down by Pein

"Don't be overconfident. Though I do doubt we need all our forces, he is much more powerful than when he was a member of the organization. He has the body of a Uchiha- therefore the sharingan, plus the jutsu he has been learning as he has been traveling and destroying. We can't be too careful."

"Plus, who of you wants to volunteer to live here for the next x months?" Shizune added in from behind Tsunade, her choice area to stand being behind Tsunade and her desk, "I think it best, even if we are allies, that we don't get too mixed through the process. Too messy really."

"I agree." Pein stated, silence again after that.

We weren't permanent allies, so getting mixed up with who knows how many Akatsuki here or there would complicate things beyond what was necessary. Both of us simply wanted to take down Orochimaru- not hold hands and run into the sunset together.

Sasori groaned, "So all things aside, we are right back where we started?" This comment earned other groans, even finding myself sighing at the realization that he was exactly right. "We've been here for three hours now-" he continued, "and have nothing to show for it? This is a waste of time! Lets do something and just hope it works out."

"Oh cause that'll help Sasori." Deidara rolled his eyes, equally aggravated as the rest of us.

It was going to be a long

_long_ day..

------

"Alright, thanks for your efforts everyone. I'm sure we will hit a break through tomorrow, chins up." Tsunade forced out with a fake smile. "Sakura?"

I gave a weak nod, opening the door to escort them back to the hospitality area. I am not sure how this became my duty, though none the less, it was something that was viewed as my job, and it no longer even phased me as odd. Especially when my mind was so bombarded with what was stated over the course of our gathering.

Eight. Freakin. Hours.

Eight hours in the same room with the Akatsuki- not a minute of it useful. For eight hours, we brain stormed, corrected, reformed, then destroyed the idea entirely. So far the one problem was the back breaker- how could we protect Naruto if all the powerful people were being sent out? Not a single solution would cover all the bases, the only thing that was achieved was the fact that now we were ALL dreading the meeting tomorrow.

At ten in the morning.

I didn't even want to go to the meeting. But...it was my job right? That's just what you do...Perhaps I should look into a new career after all this was said and done...one that didn't involve employers that would literally destroy your property, eat your food, kick down your door...just for being late, or any other reason she deemed worthy for that matter. I really couldn't afford to keep buying all these doors!

"Alright guys, here you are. Remember that she wants us all back in the morning. Maybe tomorrow will go better. I sure hope so- no offense, but I've had enough run in with you guys to last me a life time."

A few laughed as they walked in, nodding in agreement. Trying to be nice to people you hated was both stressful, and tiring, though it was easy to relate to them currently, having been through the never ending stressful meeting together. Pein stopped just outside the door, addressing me, "I didn't believe Itachi when he said you were a skilled, and very thoughtful individual." Itachi said that about me? The infamous Uchiha took time notice unworthy me? ...I would have to write this moment down.

"You are an intelligent ninja Haruno, unbridled and blunt, but intelligent none the less."

With that, he walked into the room, leaving me gaping like a fish in the hallway.

A...compliment?

I groaned slightly, turning around to leave the CO. It was the longest day, and getting a compliment from perhaps your worst enemy definitely shook things up. It was hard to hate people that complimented you. I was prepared for insults- but who would be ready for a compliment-from Pein none the less? Deciding to all but erase the incident from my memory, I walked outside into the clean crisp air of sunset. It was 8 at night- still enough time to hang out and pretend that I had a life outside of my job. Ino would be up- and I had plenty to tell her.

"I can't believe it! That guy- the whole time!"

Naruto shouted loudly, slamming his fist on the counter so hard I swear I saw a noodle fly out of the ramen bowl. My eyes narrowed into slits. All I wanted to do was have a mini girls night with Ino- not go tailgating with Naruto and other people. Actually, I didn't mind Shikamaru or Hinata's presense. But Naruto...I needed a break from him.

"I can't believe it!" Isn't _that_ ironic, Inner Sakura giggled, and even outer Sakura smirked at the thought. "Sakura you should have told me that guy was a part of the Akatsuki- I would have pummeled him good!" Naruto demonstrated, punching his palm with his fist to prove it.

"Which is exactly why she didn't.." Shikamaru mumbled, staring idly into his ramen bowl. "The goal is to _not_ let the towns people know. If you made a big deal out of it, word would have gotten out and everyone would be panicking. I mean, sure it's unsettling that the Akatsuki are staying here, but they have yet to cause any problems. We have to trust them in that, especially considering the fact that we are allies now."

Ino nodded strongly, "Yeah Naruto- thank goodness Sakura is more level headed then you. You and your dramatic ways could have cost Konoha dearly. Remember than next time you want to pummel someone. You simply must learn to control that dreadful temper of yours.."

Hinata said nothing, though I was quite certain she agreed. She may have been dating Naruto, but her loyalty was first and foremost to Konoha.

Not wanting Naruto to feel like everyone was against him or beating him down, I stated matter of factly, swirling noodles around my chopsticks, "Actually Naruto, your name was brought up quite a bit today. See, we don't know what to do if for some reason Orochimaru gets here before we get him. Because he was a member of the Akatsuki, he knows how to extract the kyuubi. Strong as you are- you can't face Orochimaru alone. You know that."

Naruto groaned, slurping down his ramen loudly, "Yeah yeah yeah I know. Baa-chan warned me all about it- no playing hero or else- and blah blah blah. I'm not that stupid. If it weren't for that teme Sasuke we wouldn't be in this mess..."

The air shifted into a more uncomfortable atmosphere, leading everyone to decide to change the subject to something less difficult. Though everyone else moved on to talk about the upcoming chunin exams in the land hidden in the rock, I continued to think of Sasuke. If we could have somehow kept Sasuke in the village...this would never have happened. Sasuke would still be alive. We wouldn't have to lower ourselves by siding with the Akatsuki. Heck- team 7 could be on a mission right now to take down the Akatsuki's hideout!

I gave a grim smile. Wouldn't that be grand. Life would have been perfect.

And I'm sure Sasuke and I would have just become merry little sweethearts, and my life would be perfect.

Inner Sakura became more and more synical, making fun of what I considered to be the dream life back then. I was so wrapped around Sasuke I couldn't even throw my kunai straight unless he was there to impress. In an odd way, it was a good thing Sasuke left. It gave me a chance to change and become a real ninja- put my training to use and do something for the world.

Yet if he hadn't left- the world wouldn't be coming to an end. I had mixed feelings over the whole thing really. Mixed emotions over the life of Sasuke in and of itself.

Growing up with Sasuke was like being on a roller coaster, and even though he wasn't there most of the time, I was still on it, never able to completley forget about him even years after he left. It all began with the crush I had on Sasuke- which I believed to be love at the time. His rejection changed me all together of course. I felt anger towards him for leaving the village, embarassment for leaving me after I told him I loved him (Ouch!), and hope that one day he would come back, all wrapped in sorrow and fear for him and what his future might be like. I gained so much detirmination not long after, wanting to be strong and prove myself to him when he returned, starting my training with Tsunade. Even after he left, I was so wrapped around him that even after all that, I just wanted to impress him.

I began to feel worried when the years went by, no Sasuke in the village, or hint that he planned on returning. My feelings changed, often going back and forth. Did I really want to be with Sasuke- after all this time? It took me years, but I finally came to that place where I knew that I didn't want Sasuke any more. All I wanted was to bring team 7 back together.

The antisipation of reciving a mission to bring Sasuke back- so close to him, it was earth shattering and exciting at the same time. The utter terror to see how much he had changed- the dark person he had become, to know that he was beyond my reach. He was so different and lost...And so strong too. After that failed mission, I went home and trained, refining my skills further- enough where I knew that if I saw Sasuke again, things would go differently. New goal? I would bring him back- by force if necessary.

Then the devastation when finding out he wouldn't come back.

...The lonlieness I felt from knowing that he_ couldn't _come back.

The ultimate void that I would feel the rest of my life- knowing that Sasuke was gone. It's funny. Even in death, I am still stuck on the roller coaster and I am quite certain that I will remain a passenger until my demise as well.

"Alright- yeah, you too. You guys take care of yourselves ok?" I waved, leaving it to just Ino and I again. We walked down the main city path, once again talking about the newest development of the plan and teams, but on a more personal level.

"To be honest Sakura...I'm really scared..." she mumbled, her breath dancing in the cold night air. "See this mission...it's not pretend any more, is it...?"

Tsunade had pulled her aside not terrible long ago and told her she was to be the medic on the first team- an honor- but the risk was impossible to overlook. The entire situation was a desperate, end of the world attempt. It wasn't like a by the book thing where if one of your comrades died, you surrended and headed back in order to save the rest of the team. You left them. To die. You kept going. If you didn't, you condem everyone else to die too- and not one life is that valuable when compared to thousands of others.

She continued, a slight smirk as she rememberd how things used to be as a young genin. It all seemed hard back then, so dramatic...though now...it was a cake walk. "Our opponents aren't people our sensei's could wipe out in one mediocre move. Infact...Gai sensi isn't even coming at all."

I gave a slow nodd, finding myself smiling at what were now warm memories. It wasn't like my childhood experiences were fake, or that I wasn't in danger, but this situation...it was the real deal. There would be no pity just because we were young and didn't have that great of a shot. If we didn't fight, we would die. Simple as that.

It was a very unnerving thought.

"Sakua- what are you going to do? Now that the Akatsuki is with us- not that I like it by any means, but it makes things a bit easier. What are you going to do now that you aren't needed as a medic?"

I nodded- good question. "Well remember I'm not just a medical ninja. I'll be pulling the strings- making strategies for both teams as to how to move and from where, trying to find out Orochimaru's next move, keeping the city at peace, being here to protect it should any thing go wrong- I actually prefer to stay here. On a team, I serve one purpose: A medic. But here, I can accomplish so much more. It works out better that I am here really."

Ino laughed, shaking her head, "Makes you miss the academy doesn't it? ...You wanna know something funny?"

"Hm?"

"Well, our whole lives, we've trained, broken bones, busted serious tail, went all but suicidal just to learn new jutsu- all to get to this point. You know- the saving the village, go to, these are the people that protect our village, can take down the baddest of the bad- point. Like Kakashi and Gai and the others were...and yet..." She paused, staring up into the sky as if some answer to life were painted in the vast black sea, "Now that we are all finally here, at least I think we are, I just...wish I could be anywhere else- when....shouldn't it be the other way around? Sakura I- I don't want a way out, this is my place as a medic, but there's just a part of me that believes..that _knows_ even, that there has got to be a better way. Somewhere, you think things aren't always solved by ninjas and fighting and wars and stuff?"

"Ino...if there is, after this is all said and over- we'll find it. I love Konoha- but I know what you mean. I'm young and all, but...I just feel old. I'm tired of fighting, tired of healing children- CHILDREN Ino- with arms and legs blown off from a late bomb detonation, or ninjas fighting by their house and hitting them by mistake.. We will search together for that place...And if we can't find a place, we will make one."

"You mean it Sakura? Think we'll find one?"

"We can always try..."

"...Thanks Sakura."

We spent many hours talking, laughing about the good old days when we would fight over Sasuke- a sore subject, but it was good to remember something happy about the days of his life spent in Konoha. I couldn't help but wish that I had more times like this. All the ninja told about Orochimaru and all knew that it was possible- and quite likely that their last days were near. It was hard to get together and just chat like we used to, with all the death and sadness- especially knowing that the other person knew too. It made it feel hypocritical to smile at times. But...reguardless of it being hypocrisay or not- I wanted to laugh! I wanted to make good memories and celebrate the lives and time we had left- no matter how long or short!

This in mind, I invited Ino over for the night, still talking and laughing about whatever crossed our minds until we both crashed late into the night.

I woke up early the next morning, asleep on the couch. Ino was on the other couch across the room, still sound asleep, though my movement awoke her up. That was one trait of her I was secretly jealous of. She had the ability to wake up at the slightest twitch like a good ninja should, though for me to wake up, it would take an 8.8 earthquake at least. So unfair.

I slowly sat up, streching my arms out as far as they would go, placing my feet on the floor and slowly standing up with an exaggerated yawn. "Morning" I waved through my yawn, my voice sounding oddly deep from it. I walked over to my bedroom, glancing at the clock. It was 9 AM. I would have just enough time to catch a shower and head down to the central office.

"Hey I'm gonna start getting ready, then head down to the C.O for the meating" I stated to Ino, grabbing a towel out of the closet.

She gave a nodd, standing up and bending to the side to stretch while I grabbed a towel out of the closet and prepared for the day.

I stepped out of the shower, patting myself dry with the towel and glancing at the clock. Looks like I would even have enough time to blow dry my hair. Perhaps it wouldn't be such a bad day after all then. I finished drying myself, then threw on my clothes and grabbed out my hair dryer, turning it on full blast.

Giving my hair one last run thru with the brush, I gave a wink into the mirror and walked out into the main room where Ino was streching out across the floor.

"Hey Sakura, that was fast." she stated, leaning across one leg. I nodded, moving across the room and grabbing random things to shove into my bag. I wasn't sure what today would entail, but I wantd to be ready for it. Extra paper, pens, gum (it is proven to help you concentrate) and chapstick.

"Yeah, have a meeting obviously. God- it seems like I am ALWAYS in a meeting lately. The office life sucks Ino! Especially with those long haired pretty boy Akatsuki everywhere- man I hate them!"

"Good for you!" She affirmed with a strong nodd, "We are Konoha! Don't forget that girl!"

I nodded, giving her a hug and heading towards the door, "Thanks Ino, I'll try to find you for lunch or something if we get a lunch break again today."

"Sounds good"

I opened the door in a rather good mood, though that was instantly shot down the moment the door was open. A wall of rainwater flew at me, instantly misting me damp. It was downpouring fourty freakin gallons of holy posiden all over the place!! I groaned, shutting the door behind me, feeling water pour down on me, soak into my clothes and drench my blow dried hair, all before I even moved down the stairs to the ground level. I walked down the streets mumbling various profanities, allowing inner Sakura to come out and say what was really going on in my head.

I sloshed through the streets, torrential wind pushing me everywhich way, and at one point right into a thorn bush! I wrestled myself out of it, earning myself various bleeding and itchy scrapes across my arms and legs. The rainwater was freezing cold and I was now entirely soaked, the cold now seeping into my skin and bones. My legs were covered in filth from the dirt roads- now nothing but a winding death trap of pure, shoe eating mud.

Yes- I was indeed missing a shoe.

Today was not my day.

------

"Say one bloody word and I will shove a kunai so far up your rectum you'll need a latter and six skilled ninja to remove it is that clear?" I growled, opening the hospitality door and glaring at Pein, who stared at me in shock.

Just as Pein opened his mouth to respond, he was inturrupted as the Akatsuki members began filing out- adding into the conversation as if right on que.

"Nah- that's how Pein likes it Sakura-" Kisame cut in, walking out the door.

"-Right up his ass." Hidan added in at the perfect timing as he walked by, followed by the herd of S ranked criminals, all smirking at the 'burn' as Kakuzu called it. I wasn't sure whether I was supposed to laugh or glare, so instead I gave a sigh of pent up aggitation and martched behind the gigling group, hearing Pein telling the group as a whole they would be hell to pay later- that hell being from him I assume.

I didn't really give a rip enough to care at this point. I was cold, bleeding, and sore. The last place I wanted to be was right where I was.

Typical.

"Wow Sakura...you look...."

"It's tsuname-ing outside." I explained flatly, sitting down in the room and ignoring Shizune's attempts to be polite. Perhaps some other day, but today I just wanted to be mad.

Tsunade watched me with a small smile, "Your shoe?"

"Burried somewhere around the insection of Wedowlark and 'I wish I stayed in bed' street." I grumbled, kicking off my other shoe deciding to go barefoot. My soaking wet socks would only serve to give me a cold anyhow.

Tsunade nodded, addressing the group as a whole now, "Morning everyone. Glad we could all make it today- shoes or no shoes-" I glared flatly at her, "Anyhow, do we have any advancements or something to kickstart our meeting today?" Tsunade chimed with a smile (her fake 'I'm a happy hokage' smile) and glanced at the people in the room warmly.

And so the day began. Same freakin routine as before.

Make some progress, genious Itachi sees a flaw. Scratch it all, maybe build off using a few key concepts from the last idea, and wait to see how long it would survive before being shot down by someone else.

Pointless and redundant actually.

Once again, I couldn't help but feel as if I were wasting my time. We spent eight hours together yesterday, somehow not killing eachother, and who knows how many hours of today? I found that often I was zonning in and out, sometimes tuning in on what was being said, and other times tuning in on inner Sakura, who was keeping herself busy with random thoughts and triva.

Currently she was sorting out the best way to cook chicken. Broiled, grilled, merinated...steamed? And out of those 4- what were the best seasonings to go with it? Could you change it up by adding jams and other things not often thought of? Would the final product be best eaten when the weather was cool- or hot? Would it ruin the mood if it were storming outside?

In the end, how healthy would this chicken be? Healthy enough to eat if over and over again? Suppose I were to eat the chicken for a straight year-

I gave a sigh and let inner Sakura be, switching gears back into the meeting. Now even listening to inner Sakura was beginning to get boring. How many hours had gone by now? I glanced at the clock, stifiling a groan. Only an hour and a half. If felt as if I had been there for hours on end! Wait- focus. Who was talking right now? As much as I didn't want to- I had to try to add in my opinions and ideas so this whole meeting could get done sooner.

I centered my mind back to where I was hearing what was being said, mentally joining in on the meeting again.

"-ura said before- we can lay low but-" It was Deidara talking right now. I wasn't sure what he was going off from, but I was trying to catch up from what I had zoned out from, "you guys are still going to need some help. I mean, if you're not careful, Orochimaru will crush this city flat."

"You guys have to watch him closely and be on the defensive for every move he makes- if you're not careful, he'll come out of no where and take the kyuubi." Zetsu added in, looming in from the cealing.

"I know that!" Tusnade cut him off with a glare. Apparently, things had become very tense sense my last phaze out. No one was smiling, and everyone seemed ticked off at the general population. "But it's all we can do. It's just so hard to know which method to persue.. It would be so much easier if we already knew the outcome of it all, you know?."

That would be nice. If we knew what Orochimaru was going to do before he actually did it, it would make it so we could be on the offensive for once instead of scrambling around, wondering how much time we had left. If we could just know what Orochimaru would do, instead of him manipulating us, then we could counter better. The same concept was often applied during battle. Genjutsu. You created an alternate reality around your opponent, and they see it as truth. They respond to what they see, and you learn to control them based off from their responses. They may think they are fighting against you, but really, they begin to work with you without even knowing it.

That's why genjutsu was such a great way to go in battle- why Itachi was so deadly. Once in a genjutsu, the person may fight to the death for what they see in their head, meanwhile the opponent is manipulating them to waste their chakra, do this or that, and win the battle using little to no energy. The opponent really takes down themselves.

My own train of thought froze as I hit that last thought, then began to accelerate like a light bulb, forming it into an idea. Yes- of course! I shook inner Sakura away from her towers of recipe books, needing her help as I pulling and organized words together.

The reason we watched him so closely, like Zetsu said, was because he could hurt us. He _knows_ that if he does this, he can expect this from us. He could manipulate us- because he had the power over us. It's like a game of cat and mouse. The only way that the mouse could win, is either a. Tricking the cat, or b. escaping into a place the cat could never get. Very unlikely, which was the same wall Konoha was running up against. In that situation- Konoha would be doomed to fail....Unless- the entire rules of the game changed.

In that scenario, it was highly unlikly the mouse would survive. However- lets say something unexpected was added in...say..a dog. That would shake it all up. The cat would be running from the dog, giving the mouse a much better chance of survival. Especially if the mouse and dog teamed up. The dog could bark here- bark there, and the cat would respond based off where it believed the dog as. From that moment on, the cat would be subject to the control of the mouse and dog.

The one who has the most power controls the game.

Finally, I shriekd out with a shrill giggle of bliss. This would work! I knew it would!

"Guys!! Guys I've got it! I know I do!!"

The room lit up quickly, everyone staring at me as my eyes shined with hope, waisting no time, I began explaining, "Ok so Orochimaru as said before, keeps tabs on you guys. Also as said before we are his two threats, though you guys more so because at this point in the game you guys can kill him--and he is aware of that. Zetsu had the right idea here! When someone is your threat, you watch them like a hawk- ESPECIALLY if you know they can harm you. My idea of staying low is just the beginning."

I let the sheer genious of the idea wash over me, continuing on, "I was thinking kind of genjutsu/manipulating. You guys leave- like now, and let Orochimaru keep tabs on you guys. 'Slip up' here or there so he can follow you and respond. Because you guys can take him out, just like we respond to his movement, he will respond to yours. Convince him you are doing this or that- say headed to this land, and then you know how he will respond based off from his previous responses. Know where he is and THAT's when you attack. It would mean that Orochimaru won't attack Konoha because as he moves in response to you, we will easily know where he is, what he is doing, upcoming plans, ectra."

I took a deep inhale, saying most of that in one breath, summarizing my idea, "You guys can scare him into doing what you want him to do, without him even knowing he's being manipulated! It's like genjutsu in reverse- chess almost."

I instantly looked at Itachi, and soon, the entire group of people was staring at him, waiting to see if this was the idea that would work- the one that would free us from these awful meetings. That alone was more motivating than defeating Orochimaru was. Knowing that the second you solved the case you'd be free from the people you hated? It's the only thing that kept me sane!

After a long moment of Itachi staring into the ground, shifting slightly, then settling back into rock solid stillness, he finally glanced up at me, my breath catching in my lungs

"That's the solution."

The room insantly filled with chears, people jumping up from their seats in celebration. I found myself laughing, grinning ear to ear in achivement. I did it! Akatsuki would be out of my hair any day now, and life could only go up from here! We would work together like what I had in my mind, making the prey that hunter, and visa versa. Together- we would take Orochimaru down!!

Tsunade stood up, "I think this earns a day off! Akatsuki- you are free to go!"

The group cheered even more, practically running out, though of course, Itachi walked out- _with dignity._ God what a tighwad. Though at the same time, watching the group as a whole...amused me. They acted just as stupid and rediculous as any other group of guys in their 20's would. They cracked jokes and made fun of eachother, beat eachother up, and generally acted like children. Even S ranked criminals still fall victom to the classic 'men in large groups are stupid' statistic. Who knew?

I noticed Pein was still in the room- as to be expected. I knew him and Tsunade would have a lot of buisness things to discuss now that we had a more concrete plan. Details still needed to be clarified, but all they needed was a building plan. Tommorrow it would all be in place to the finest detail, and I would be one step closer to watching the Akatsuki leave. What a relief that would be. Just thinking about it brightned my spirits.

Tsuande shifted her attention to me, "Sakura- good work." she stated firmly, pride and approval radiating off from her. She gave a small frown of apology, "I'd love to give you the day off too, but obviously Pein and I have a bunch of stuff to do- so if you could please do some of my work?"

She shrugged with a light smile, and if I didn't know her better I would think she was just being lazy again. Truth was we were that behind. Now granted, there was a small seed of hope in me that I would get the day off as well, though I knew the chances were slim.

"What do you want me to do?" I asked forcing a smile on my face. Sure it wasn't optimal- but it was how I could help Konoha at this moment. And at this moment, that's all I wanted to do anyhow.

"We need missions sent out, responses to letters- oh here's my ring. I know you won't do anything stupid with it, so just seal anything that needs my signiture with it and that will be that."

I grinned, grabbing the ring from her.

I loved doing this kind of work. It was like playing dress up, except in stead of mommy's red high heels- it was Tsunade's ring. Key to doing whatever I wanted in the city.

Sakura deserves a 50 dollar raise? Stamp!

Konohomaru needs a mission? Straight to the nursing homes! Stamp!

My apartment place should allow me to get a dog? Stamp!

Her ring was power!!

---------

"To whom it may concearn,

The alligations of the Uchiha and Orochimaru are possilbly just rumors. Advancements are being made to clarify if they are true or not, though we advise your village to be wary and watch for any suspicious activity. Look for any movement of Sound Ninja, any other things you may hear as travelers pass by- keep yourselves gaurded up. We appreciate your conceran for both our safety and yours, andI will send a team out in three days to watch over your daughter for protection while you are traveling, as you requested.

Sincerly,

Tsunade of the Leaf Village"

I folded the letter into an envalope, placing it in the mail bin. I grabbed the next letter- this one over a sighting in the Rice Village, putting it in the large file cabnet. It was dated at last week, not too long ago actually. I had to keep my mind from trying to sort things together- right now I had to get our exports in check and making sure that Konoha appeared strong and uneffected.

I sat back down in the office chair- currently in a side office that Tsunade often used when she didn't want to be disturbed. I pressed a button that connected me to the receptionist.

"Mina speaking. How may I assist you hokage-sama."

"Yeah, I need Team Gai up here as soon as possible please."

"Sa..Sakura- is that you? Is Tsunade making you do her work again?"

I gave a small laugh, shaking my head, "No, not quite. Anyhow could you get that done for me? I need them to go out on a mission."

"Sure thing. They should be up there in less than 20 minutes.

"Perfect- thanks Mina."

Being sure to do use my time wisely, I grabbed the large records book for one of the lower desk dwares, adding in every thing done today. This would make it so if anything did go wrong or if I filed something incorrectly, Tsunade could refer to this and find what needed to be fixed based off from what I had written down.

I began looking at the budget system of Konoha, doing some math over the rate of missions going out, people hiring us, and how our agricultural farms and local buisness were doing. Hopefully things would level out so we were bringin in more, or equal to what we were spending. Our financial system was solid, but no one could prepare for something like this. It looked as if we would all come out even, only a bit of debt from the cost of having one team sent out for so long. Not so bad considering what could happen I suppose.

I continued doing math, writing letters and filing reports until I heard a knock at the door. I looked up with a grin, the small face of Tenten peaking through the crakced open door.

"Hey Tenten- come in come in you guys! Wow it's been so long sense I've seen you all! Been so busy, sure you can immagine."

"Tsunade's not in today?" Neji asked in shock, looking around the room as if with his 360 degree vision he missed her somehow

"Oh, no she's with Pein discussing what to do from here. She's left me in charge to do her buisness for the day."

Neji groaned, earning a laugh from Tenten. I will admit, technically I was acting as Konoha's hokage- assigning missions and such, but not like it wasn't anything I hadn't done before today. I knew how to do Tsunade's entire job- not that I would ever want to of course. Naruto was the crazy dreamer- not the day I became Naruto's personal assistant if he became the hokage, was the day I was quitting. No telling what rumors would pop up from such a happening.

"Anyways, I was wondering if you guys would go on a mission for me...? I'll warn you its below your level- this is a C rank mission here. All you have to do is gaurd some governor's daughter for a week. I want you guys because if anything goes wrong here, I know you'll be fast in returning. Team 8 is busy with chunin exams, and I don't want to send out the genin incase Orochimaru decides he wants some hostages. I know it's just a C rank- but please take it? Think of it as a week long vacation.." I added in with a hopeful grin.

Before the group even had time to blink, Lee shouted out "WE ACCEPT!"

Though Tenten and Neji didn't like the fact that their opinions weren't asked about, they nodded in agreement. I slapped the manilla folder shut, a tingle of excitement and pride running through my body.

Stamp!

* * *

"What's this emergency meeting about?"

"Yeah, you said we could have the day off!"

"If we are here because you decided there was some flaw- then I quit!"

"Make up your guy's minds already!"

The group as a whole whined and complained, and I slouched lower in my chair.

It was 2 in the morning.

Two in the FREAKIN MORNING!!!

I didn't even bother to change out of my pajamas when Tsunade kicked down my door (I didn't hear her knock at first..perhaps this time I would buy a green one...? It _would_ match my curtains quite nicely.) and just moped my way back down to the C.O. I really hated my life today. I rubbed my eyes agian, yawning. Whatever they brought us here for, it better be freakin good. After a hard days work, I wanted a normal nights sleep.

This was not what I had in mind.

Tsuande nodded at the complaints, "I know I know, but Pein and I did stumble across a tiny little flaw that-"

The group groaned as a whole, earning a sigh from Tsunade

"I'm not finished. We already corrected it, and now we know the plan _is_ flawles, in fact it's beyond flawless...but...you need to know what changed. Its sort of...important." Tsunade mumbled, and I knew it would be bad.

Pein jumped in, "I will be staying in Konoha."

What?!

"What?!"

"No way- this won't work!"

"They'll _kill_ you leader-sama!"

"You decide this without even warning us?!"

No way! There was no way this crazy spiky haired arrogant man was staying here! I would not allow it!

Pein glared at his members, "Calm down! Listen to me. While Sakura's plan was incredible, she left out the pattern of randomness- and unpredicatability, meaning that if we do something and he responds different from our calculations, it would complitacte matters exceedingly. For example, if something went wrong and instead of Orochimaru thinking he has 2 months before we head to him, he thinks he has 2 days. He would respond drastically- and if by chance is response is to destroy Konoha, they will need someone who can hold him off long enough so where they can be reinforced and drive him from the city, until you guys have enough time to get here and back me up."

The Akatuski fell silent, thinking it over. So far Pein was right, and it was a great addition to what I had planned. A backup plan. Incase somthing did go wrong, we would still be one step ahead of him. The idea was ingenious!

"But won't we need you to assit in the battle?" Zetsu asked, still hanging out of the cealing as if he had been floating up there the whole time.

That was true. If Pein was strong enough to hold of Orochimaru by himself, wouldn't they want him with them? Especially considering the fact he was the leader?

Pein nodded, seeing merit in the question, "The only person that we would suffer from if they weren't at the battle would be Itachi- we need sharingan to battle sharingan. However with such a large number, my absense won't be noticed. If anything goes wrong here, I'll send signal and you will come to Konoha and we will have out the battle here, as dangerous as it may be." Pein continued, adding in more detail to it in hopes to settle down everyon'es shock.

"You will be setting off tonight, after this meeting you will pack, and head back to the hideout. Beacuse of the fact we won't be able to comunicate as we usually do, you will have to remain a group and reside at the hideout."

The group went wild again, apparently not too fond of the whole 'living together' thing. I guess it did makes sense that the Akatsuki didn't live toghether in the same area- you could see that by the way they responded to eachother. They weren't all gathered together that often, though they knew eachother as a whole, it was obvious the only person they were comfortable around was their assigned partner.

It would be a hilarious thing to watch, though currently my mind was bogged down about Pein being here.

I was hoping that they would all go away...but I guess I could deal with Pein. Not optimal- but doable.

"I know it's not exactly the definition of exciting but it's the only way we can stay in good communication. I won't have the time to track down each individual team and communicate with them, so it has to be a group. Plus, Orochimaru will be more likely to respond dramatically and more predictably if we move as a whole. It will appear as if we are being more serious, and more leathal. When you do get out to the hideout, lay low until you get my next message, and from there I will tell you what to do so we can track down Orochimaru and begin the manipulation."

"Now- any questions?"

Sasori nodded, "That's all great and all- protect the kyuubi should anything go wrong....but how do you know they won't kill you? Aside from Orochimaru, the next biggest threat to Konoha is us."

Pein nodded, "Ah, good question Sasori. I was waiting for this one. See, here is what Tsunade doesn't know. You will take someone with you. Man for man swap." he turned to her, "Someone important that you wouldn't want to loose. It's only fair."

What?! Man for man swap- what was that supposed to mean? Was he seriously going to go and take one of our citizens with him? That didn't even make sense! If he could hold off Orochimaru- why did he need someone else?! There was a reason we needed their help- we couldn't kill Orochimaru- which serves to reason, we couldn't kill him either! I mean...I suppose it was fair and all- but that didn't mean it made any sense.

Tsunade glared at him in shock, and even I became tense. I...suppose...that would be fair- but why? I mean- we wouldn't kill him or anything. They would know the second we did, so the deal would be off instantly. They didn't need collat proof of another person- right?

After a moment, Tsunade nodded, trying to be flexable, "Alright...ok..This would have been nice to know Pein. Who do you want? Jiriya, Kakashi- me? Leader for leader trade? That would be fair..."

I shook my head no quickly, praying that Pein wouldn't accept the offer. I don't care about fair or unfair- there was no way she was leaving! If she left, guess who would have to take care of Konoha and make everyone belive her mom died or something- Me and Shizune. Mainly me though, because Shizune was head of her own departments that she was responsible to. That left it all for me.

And past that- I didn't want Tsunade to leave! She was like my mother almost! She had been there for me for years, what if something went wrong and they killed her first?! Or if she died- who would be the next hokage? That wasn't a responsibility I wanted, and Naruto wouldn't be ready..

There was no way I was going to be able to handle it- especially at such a time with Orochimaru at large- there was no way! Anything would be better than this!!

Pein responded with a wave of his hand, "No- no that's not necessary. You have to be here for your people, panic would arise is you left Tsunade. Besides, I already know the person perfect for the job."

Great. Already has the victim in mind. As if he had been plotting it all from the beginning. Psh. That wouldn't suprise me. Who would he choose? I was banking on Kakashi. Having another sharingan in the mix would be highly beneficial...however I was hoping we would be able to use him in our team. Figures we would both want him..

Tsunade nodded with an exhale of relief, though still on edge about the entire ordeal "Oh? Well...that's...comforting..Who??"

Pein smirked, slowly shifting his head around towards me as time slowed down, "You."

Pein stared staright into me, watching my face contort into confusion, then fear.

...What?! Me?! They wanted _me_?! Why did Pein want me?! Was I hearing right? Surely I was just dreaming or something...this was..this was ludicrious! There was no way- this...I mean..no way! I couldn't- he had to be joking!

"Ah ha, funny Pein. No seriously, who did you want to take?" Tsunade asked, though her voice had an edge of tenseness to it.

Pein turned back to her, an innocent expression on his face, "Sakura. Sakura Haruno. I will accept none other. She is the best known medical ninja, her mental perception and problem solving abilities will aide us greatly, she already works with us so the awkwardness of first impressions and such has already passed, and to top it off, you love her to death. She is perfect."

What? You have got to be- there was NO way I was LIVING with the Akatsuki!

"But...I-I'm a girl!" I stammered, that being the first logical explanation to come to my head. I would be a girl living in a frat hous of six young men- the definiton of unethical.

Pein laughed darkly, "It's the end of the world and you're worried about immorality?"

"YES!" I shrieked, standing up from my chair, "In case you all forgot- I hate you! There's no way I can LIVE with you!"

The entire room filled with noise, choas breaking out rather quickly. Tsunade telling Pein to choose someone else, the Akatuski adding in their oppinions, though I quickly tuned them out. What was...this was unreal. I hated the Akatuski. Why was I the one that had to go?! No. I wouldn't do it. Simple as that. There was a limit to how far I would bend, and this was where I was putting my foot down. I was tired of always doing what I was told and biting my tongue just because it was my job to. I don't care what his reasons were, he could find someone else. Kakashi was strong. Jiriya was important to Tsunade and the village. Not like I wanted any of us to go- but Pein would just have to pick someone else.

When I snapped back out of my mental rant, I noticed the entire group was staring at me, even Tsunade, though her look was more fearful and afraid. When did everyone become silent again...?

Pein turned to me, "Well Sakura?"

I opened my mouth, ready to tell Pein exactly what I thought of his newest bright idea- though he cut me off

"Just know that if you say no, the entire deal is off. We will head back to where we came from and will watch you, and your friends, all be destroyed. I won't ask again, Sakura."

And with that, my words caught in my throat.

...If I didn't say yes...everyone would die.

Suddenly, I heard Ino's voice in my head again

_"There has got to be a better way. Somewhere, you think things aren't always solved by ninjas and fighting and wars and stuff?"_

_"Ino...if there is, after this is all said and over- we'll find it. I love Konoha- but I know what you mean. I'm young and all, but...I just feel old. I'm tired of fighting, tired of healing children- CHILDREN Ino- with arms and legs blown off from a late bomb detonation, or ninjas fighting by their house and hitting them by mistake.. We will search together for that place...And if we can't find a place, we will make one."_

_"You mean it Sakura? Think we'll find one?"_

_"We can always try..."_

Ino..I promised that we would find peace, no matter the cost. But if I didn't go with them, the whole world would be thrown into war. I couldn't let that happen just because of me. I had to protect the people...I had to protect Konoha. It was more than my job- it was what I was alive to. I had trained my whole life to protect Konoha no matter the cost, and if this was it right here, then so be it.

It's just...this was so unfair! All I wanted to do was just live my life here, helping out Tsunade, maybe one day start a family- and be happy. I didn't not plan, nor want to be apart of the Akatsuki- the mission could take anywhere from 4 months to over a year! But if I didn't...then no one would be happy. My happiness wasn't worth the happiness of everyone else..

I gave a sigh, my entire body stance seeming to wilt as my strong will caved around me.

"I'll go..." I mumbled out in defeat, staring at the ground and fighting back tears.

"Excellent. You heard her men. Sakrua is with us now. Kisame, grab her bags, and as for the rest of you, pack up. You leave in 30 minutes."

My head shot up, "Whoah- what? We-"

"That means you too Sakura. I knew you'd say yes, so I had Kisame go into your apartment and pack for you while you were in the office."

In most cases, I would have been so offeneded that one of those men dared to break into my place, though right now was so horrified that it didn't seem that big of a deal, "But...my friends....I won't be able to say goodbye..."

"That will just make the reunion even sweeter." Pein stated coldly, nodding to someone behind me, and I could feel myself being dragged away.

No! No! This... Tsunade! Someone! I coudn't go now!! Someone help me I- this couldn't be how it would end! I had to say goodbye- there.. No...

-------

I leaped off the trees, turning my head back to look over my shoulder, then almost subconciously stopping and staring behind me. The men, not noticing at first continued moving, then slowly one by one noticed and paused, waiting for me to move again.

"Sakura." It was the voice of Itachi- the new appointed leader until Pein returned....more like Peins spokesperson.

I turned back around feeling tears slide down my face, the six men staring at me wordlessly, trying to not be rude but still pressing onward. We were at the teritorial limits of Konoha- the large city now looking like a dim glow from the forest's edge. With a small turn, I had to tear my eyes off my beloved home and force my body to move away. I jumped onto the next tree, leaving my heart behind me as we all pased onward- headed to only god knows where.

Konoha...

I would come back one day right?

I would see my friends again and we wouldn't be worried about living or dying any more. We would just be happy, and they would be so gald I was back. Things would be right back to how they used to be, and I would be able to move on and forget about my time with the Akatuski...

Right?

Author's Note: This chaper is up and done. Thanks for the support guys, it's always interesting to hear why my readers have to say. See you next week!


	6. Hikers and Tubetops

Midnight: Heyyy guys! Wow it's all been catching up so fast- can't believe we are already to chapter 6- it means this story has been up for 2 months already!

Itachi: It's a wonder people waste their times reading your work

Midnight: -.-; You're just like Sasuke. Jerk. For your information know it all, My readers love this- all possible elements to a sucessful story have been included- there's no reason they wouldn't want to read it!

Itachi: You're writing is weak. Do you know why it's weak...?

Midnight: ...Seriously? Don't you dare say it lacks-

Itachi: I was simply asking you a question Midnight. How should I know what it lacks- I don't write. I was simply asking you if _you_ knew why. Jumping to conculsions will get you no where in life. ...Perhaps its a good thing you are a writer and not a ninja. If you were as poor of a ninja as you are a writer- you would have died by now. Twice in fact.

...At the hand of a gen-

Midnight: OK I GET IT! *glares* Thanks Itachi. So encouraging...Hey- where is Sakura? As...fun..as it is to talk with you- I've noticed she's not here

Itachi: *points to dark emo corner* She's over there moping- saying something about how dare you do all these mean things to her

Midnight: ...I see. Ah well. It just gets worse from here- I hope that corner has a kitchen and stuff- cause she will be there for a while... Anyhow dear readers, enjoy, and thanks for sticking with me for 2 months now!

Itachi: She must have locked you all in closets

Midnight: I did no such thing! Now leave them alone- they are here to read this chapter and I suggest you let them do it! Jeez Itachi...

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I'm not sure how long we traveled, it was hard for me to focus. I would often retreat into the corners of my mind, allowing my subconcious to control my body while I hid in my mind. I had began calculations, wondering just how I would last in the grips of the Akatsuki.

Not like they would hurt me or anything....but none the less- they were my enemy...and I was expected to live daily life among them for months on end. I mean- let's be practical. I would have to sleep, eat...but more than that, I would have to shower, go to the bathroom, and what was worse- I was female- once a month I'd be on my period, among the Akatsuki. How was _that_ going to work out? Not like they would be watching me as I lived my daily life or anything- but just immagining myself naked in the shower with six more than capable men outside the door- made me wonder how long one could go without showering. Six months?

It was hopeless- sooner or later, I would have to take a shower.

Damn.

I slowly decided it would be best to check in on what was happening in reality, and hazed my mind back into focus. Things clearly started to fade in, and I took in my surroundings.

Ah- the sun was almost starting to rise. The sky was still dark, but the very base of the horizen was a faint, almost invisible orange line. It must be about 5 am, give or take 20ish minutes. So we traveled over night then. Didn't suprise me, as I didn't remember dinner or a hotel room. Granted, I didn't remember the trip either, but I am certain I would remember the process of eating or something of the sort.

As I phased back into what was around me, I began to pick up on more things, my mind becoming more active and alert now that it wasn't burried in my subconcious. For example, I noticed we weren't running anymore. That made sense. After about 70 some miles from Konoha the forest ends, making it difficult, and even suspicous, to run from place to place. To avoid attracking unwanted attention, it was highly probable we slowed down to a walk some time ago. It almost amazed me how much I could miss without my concious mind being alerted, but with combonation of Sakura and my inner self- I didn't need to stay alert and use 100% of my mind at all times of the day.

Though adding credit to where it is due, it wasn't that hard to stay zoned out because there was no conversation going on. It is difficult to stay out of the real world when people are having an acitve conversation, especially when they want participation from you. When called by name, it's almost impossible to stay out of my mind and not snap back into full aletness. This in mind, it had aparently been a very...very silent trip. Perhaps no one wanted to talk because of the cloud that seemed to follow me, or maybe they just weren't the type to talk when they traveled.

Either way I was thankful. The less time I had to spend living my current life the better. I just had to wait for time to pass, and then life would move on and I could forget this time had ever happened.

I just had to wait it out until I was free.

We continued walking, no one saying a word, walking down to some unknown place. Based off the direction of the rising sun, we were heading north west. From the feel of the climate and plant life, I felt it safe to assume we were still in the country of fire, most headed towards the country of earth. That was just a guess however- I knew it wouldn't be necessary to keep tabs on where we were headed.

The second I got back to Konoha, this hideout would inevitably be destroyed. Either from them, or from when I would send out a mission group to investigate over anything I could dig from it.

I would deeply enjoy that.

A couple of hours passed by, inner Sakura waking up and beginning daily yoga and pilaties, meanwhile outer Sakura was beoming very bored, and extreemly hungry. Though, not like I could say anything about it though. I didn't want to look like the fat one that HAD to eat food- and would demand to stop and eat something. I would die of starvation before I ever humiliated myself like that in front of this croud.

Though the thought became tempting when a large village came into focus, roughly 10 or so miles away. It wasn't any village I knew off the top of my head...perhaps just a community of farmer people or non-ninja people types, either that or a tourist trap. Stopping on the path, Itachi turned back, the group also stopping for orders.

It was like they were all robots. The second Itachi stopped, they all paused as if they knew the exact spot, and second they would all stop. It was scary to watch. Mainly because I was the loser that took an extra step, so when everyone stopped, and I kept going, I looked like a total moron.

Great.

"I think it best we rest at the upcoming town- any disagreements?"

The group shook their heads, allowing Itachi to continue, "By stopping now, we have the cover of darkness to move quicker during the night- we should be at the hideout in 2 more days if we keep a good speed, though 3 if there are too many delays. The town is in a turist community, so it should be safe for us there. However, just to avoid all possible scrutiny, make sure you all choose different hotels. Cloaks off- don't attract any attention. Sakura- you'll stay with Kisame and myself for now- we leave at 2 AM. I suggest everyone rest up in the mean time."

And at the same time, the robot Atkatsuki members disappeared in groups of two, jumping off into the sky, leaving Kisame, Itachi, and myself on the path.

"Where they headed?" I found myself asking before I even gave consent. Workings of Inner Sakura no doubt.

Itachi's eyes shifted to me, as if he had forgotten I was there entirely, and after a moment, decided he would answer my question. "Different enterances. They'll come into the city through different gates, groups of two being less suspicious than a large group of seven- especially considering the fact you are a lone female in a group of men simular to your age. Looks immorale."

"It's the end of the world and you're worried about immorality?" I threw at him with a smrik, earning a coaurse laugh from Kisame- who appeared to be able to appreciate my spunk.

Itachi's face didn't really respond, though I sware his eyes lit up with ammusement. After a passing moment, Itachi added in as if he had finally found the proper retort to my statement, "They don't know it's the end of the world. Civic laws still apply for time being."

"Then I get my own hotel..." I brought up, turning his point against him.

"Forget it Sakura." Kisame laughed, shifting the large sword he carried on his back, "Someone's got to watch you..."

I rolled my eyes, holding back from cursing at the smurf man. I really hated the Akatsuki.

"If I wanted to run- I would have done so a long time ago.." I mumbled in complaint, crossing my arms childishly.

Though I knew they could both hear me, neither responded and we continued the jouney in silence. Oh well. Not like we had anything to talk about really. I was rather sick of this end of the world buisness, I didn't want to talk about the upcoming misery called my life, and that really cut out all things we had in commen. The only other thing I could think of was Naruto, and I was NOT discussing him with these two particular men. I would stab my heart out with a spoon first.

It didn't take terribly long to walk into the city, only another 40 minutes, mainly silent, though I still made a few attempts to get my own hotel (all failed.) Upon walking in the main enterance gate, I realized why this town was the perfect place for the Akatsuki to stay at. One, it was HUGE, two, it was clearly one of the largest tourest places we would ever run across, and three, it was the best resting location we would find for who knows how long.

The second we even came within half a mile of the place, the air was filled with various delious smells that did not help the hunger situation at all. And when we walked in? The streets were just beginning to fill with early morning people- out for shopping, morning walks, and other things that normal civilians actually have time for. To be honest I was hard core jealous. I would glady trade my life for theirs in a heart beat.

We easily fit right into the busy hustle and bustle of the morning crowd, Itachi suggesting we book a room before things get busy. We found a local place that had a good view of the city as a whole, towering high into the air. Not quite one with what you'd consider a scenic view, though scenery wasn't quite what they were watching for I am sure. We walked in the main lobby, the receptionist greeting us with a wide smile.

"Hey welcome to Hiru's Inn- how many rooms would you like sir?" she asked, staring at Itachi, assuming he was the one in charge. God- was it that obvious he ran things? Kisame wasn't any less professional or manly...he was taller even! Not only that- but statistically, when in a group where it was males and one lone female- it was the female that made the decisions! That made Itachi the one statistically suited to NOT be the one in charge- yet here he was all swave and powerful.

"Two please." Itachi stated, barely interested in the girl.

I smirked with satisfaction. I'd get my own room then at least- that would be nice. I would be able to take a shower without any second thoughts now.

Itachi nodded at the lady at she grabbed out hotel key cards, explaining the location of the rooms. Grabbing the keys from her, Itachi headed to said pointed direction, stoically walking away and knowing that we would follow. Lord the day I became robotically programmed like the rest of the cloack wearing guys- I was putting in my resignation and running for the hills.

I did not sign up to live with mad men.

I didn't want to live with them.

All I wanted- was to be in Konoha and help sort his mess out.

Yet where was I?

...Well that was a freakin good question wasn't it?! Lord knew Itachi wouldn't tell me.

Upon coming to our room numbers, Itachi turned, handing a key card to Kisame and keeping the other one. ..Wait a minute. What? One of these rooms were mine- right? Itachi looked at me, speaking up.

"Sakura, because of the fact you are still 'new' and could track your way back to Konoha, you must be kept under strict supervision until the hideout."

I gaped in instant anger, "So what- I have to share a room with one of you lunatics?! You're out of your damned minds!!"

"I understand your frustration kouinichi- so I leave the choice to you. Would you rather stay under the watch of Kisame- or myself?"

"Neither! Even if I did say one of you- it would probably inflate your fat heads into thinking I have some hott crush on you! No! I opt out of this- I demand my own room dammit!."

"Such a fowl mouth is an unbecoming trait for a lady."

I gave a flat glare, "I have so far complied without the slightest questioning glance. I have not complained, or broke down in tears, declared how I miss my friends, or some other set back that might be expected from a female- don't give me crap about my mouth Itachi. That's unfair. But I will give you crap here- I put my foot down. No. You can't make me."

"Cooperate you or I will decapitate you and tie you to the wall until we depart." He threatened, activating his sharingan as more of a proof than an actuall threat. The intimidation factor was not something he took for granted, and it was currently working quite well.

I gave a sigh, crossing my arms and biting my bottom lip. Though it seemed childish- I hated not getting my way. This wasn't a selfish desire though- I was a girl- they were complete strangers. I SHOULD get my own room- it was only fair. Yet now that I was among them- I seemed to have no rights. What was right and what was wrong was no longer an issue. Whatever worked was the solution- no matter how wrong it might be viewed as.

Itachi, still glaring, seeming to be truly preturbed by my stubborness, continued, "Now I will ask you one last time kuoinichi- what is your decision."

I rolled my eyes, throwing my head back. So many emotions at once. Anger- because all this was so wrong. There should be no question like this. In a real, sane place, I would have my own room. Sadness...and fear. It was scary to watch the fact that my free will was no longer relevant. It was either do what they said- or they would literally force me to. And also embarassment. It felt like I was a 4th grader addmiting that I had a crush on a guy, when the guy was right there. It was like a mini popularity contest. Who whould the girl choose to sleep with?

Not literally that extreeme of course, but theoretically..

"Fine. I'll stay with you." I mumbled out, grabbing the key in his hand and opening the door, slamming it shut in his face. Granted, the now locked door would do little to keep him out, but it still gave me some pride that I locked him out of the room.

Frustration...and hopelessness, quickly replaced my pride now that I had some privacy, and I allowed my self to fall face first into the bed closest to the door.

'Oh Ino what should I do' I asked my mind as if Ino would be able to hear me and answer. They would all be finding out about right now- I couldn't help but wonder what their responses would be. Naruto would be furious- Ino would go on a tirade, writing a formal letter of complaint to Pein and hand delivering it- being sure to glare and loom over his shoulder as he read it.

A small part of me wished that a group would come and rescue me from this horrible situation- but that was the impractical, selfish side of me. This was the only way Konoha would remain safe...and I was a ninja. If I could handle my bones being cracked and being yelled at all day by a merciless hokage- then I could bite down the pride and suffer though this

Right?

A felt a hot tear roll down my cheek, and I couldn't stop the tears from the point on. I didn't want to be here. I didn't want to be sharing a room with Itachi- the reason Sasuke left Konoha in the first place.

I wanted my own room- No scratch that.

I wanted to be in my own apartment, drinking hot chocolate with Ino, discussing how hott Sasuke was. I pretended that he had never left the village, and that Ino and I were still crazy about him, and were finally going to make a move and ask him out.

I immagined he would say no (Not even in my _dreams_ would Sasuke ever say yes. ...Oh well. Not my type any how. I liked random drunk guys apparently) and that Ino and I would start the plotting process all over again- only taking breaks long enough to do Tsunade's work and run her errands. Team 7 still existed, Orochimaru was just some guy that left the village, and Itachi was just a whisper in the wind that wasn't really a threat to my practical brother.

A small sob drilled into the pillow, and I crinckled the blankets in my fisted hands, as if somehow it would make it all go away if I squeezed hard enough. I just wanted it all to go away. I wanted these wars to be over- I didn't want to be where I was- do what I was doing...even BE who I was.

...I wanted peace.

"Crying won't solve anything koinichi. All you're sucessfully doing is wetting the same blankets you have to sleep with. It would be much more effective to get a glass of water and just pour it over the bed." The voice of Itachi came from absolutely no where. A jolt went through my whole body in shock- I thought I was alone!! I don't remember the door opening...when did he come in?

I would _never_ have allowed myself to cry so hard if I knew he'd be right there watching me. I had to appear strong. Show them that I was tough and no matter what they did- they would never know that I was really just a scared little girl trying to run. I shifted my legs and sat up, wiping the tears off my eyes to look as presentable as possible with my red puffy eyes and moistened sticky cheeks.

Itachi didn't even look at me, though addressed me as he pulled open all the night stand dwares and did a routine security check of the room, "I will give you grace for that little display considering your circumstances- however I suggest you learn to bite your tounge and act obediently Sakura. We don't take well do disobedience, and we _will _punish you if you continue to act so willful."

God that sounded so perverted- though I knew Itachi wasn't saying anything like that. For every time a 'misbehaved', a consequence would follow.

"So- if I ran away?"

"We'd break your legs. And I'm being quite serious kouinichi. If for any other ninja, we wouldn't be quite so drastic, however with you being a medic, a broken bone is eqivialent damage to a slap or punch to another. You can heal a spot as the injury is occuring. Such a little thing wouldn't even make you feel pain."

That was true. For a punch, I'd feel about a 2 second sting- it would be the same as a tap on the wrist. You feel the impact, but after that, your wrist isn't even tingling. Just not enough force to do damage.

How did they know so much about me anyhow?

Ah that's right- Tsunade was a living legend. By knowing her ability, and knowing that I was better, they would be able to figure out where exactly my level of ability was at, therefore knowing what level of punishment to use.

"Well, I actually would like to thank you..." I forced out, trying to brighten the mood

"For?"

"You got a room with two beds. You didn't have to do that..."

Itachi gave a curt nod, a small smirk lifting a corner of his mouth, "Our goal isn't to make your life a living hell Sakura."

I shrugged, staring down into the patterned comforter on my bed, phasing out for a moment as my mind traced over the lines and dots, like a painting of brown earthtoned plants that got water spilled on it before it was finished drying. The bed to right hand wall began moving and creeking slightly, calling my mind back into focus. Itachi was now laying ontop of the bed, either sleeping or staring upward at the cealing. I wasn't sure...I was curious...but not enough to crawl over and look.

Deciding to follow suit, I shifted again, casting a jutsu on myself and instantly entering the realm of sleep that I had been so deprived of lately.

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"Get up!"

Suddenly, I surrounded by cold...and wet. I shot up from my bed, sputtering, and gasping...soaked. ...Wha? How did...huh? My mind struggled to figgure out what had just taken place, as I disorientatedly flung my arms over my face and sloshed the water out of my hair.

My eyes finally focused, singeling in on Itachi, who held an upside down cut, floating just over where my head was. Instantly putting two and two together, I glared, still sputtering out water from my mouth

"What pfft...was that...pttf for?!" I demanded, seeing no trace of any promient emotion written over his face. "You could have just pfft...called my name or something." I continued, beliveing he would't give an answer as to why he decided it necessary to wake me up by method of drenching.

"I did." he stated flatly, walking off to the bathroom and setting the cup on the counter. "You have a serious problem waking- don't you Sakura."

I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms- though after promptly recieving a glare and remembering his earlier warning, I unfolded my arms quickly, "Sorry, I'll work on it I sware. Please don't break my bones...and yes, I am an incredibly heavy sleeper."

"That will change." He stated simply, making me worry.

...What was that supposed to mean? I couldn't change wether I was a light sleeper or not...I mean, if going through all this training and being a medic didn't solve the problem, I doubted they could. It was a curse. I would never sleep lightly like a proper ninja should, and that's just how it was. No need trying to change anything when fate was clearly against me.

Itachi walked to the door, pausing and turning around, giving me an expectant look. What was he...?

"Oh! Am I supposed to be following you?" I responded dumbly, jumping up from the bed, trying to coordenate my movements to be less of a disgrace to my skill

"Hense me waking you."

"Well sorry." I snapped back, throwing my shoes on. Bones or no bones, this was rediculous, "I haven't put my brain in a jar so I am not really connected to the mother board system that controls all you droids. I can't tell these things just looking at you."

"That will also change." he added over his shoulder, walking out.

Good lord- what wouldn't change? Two for two things he had learned about me were both things that 'will change'. So what if I couldn't read his mind? Why should I have to learn? I wasn't a bloody member, I was just the person Pein had to choose so we could trust eachother to not destroy the other side. I didn't have to be the perfect fit, just as long as I didn't slow them down in the process of destroying Orochimaru.

I closed the door, yawning from behind him, pulling my hair back into a pony tail as it was still wet from my previous waking. I had to enlarge my stride to match his, and after catching up to him couldn't help but ask a question

"Hey...where are we going? What time is it?"

"We are going down the hall. It is currently five minutes past midnight."

I sighed, knowing instantly that this would take me no where. All it was was a simple question- I could SEE we were moving down the hall- what I didn't know was where we were headed AFTER we 'went down the hall'. Deciding that it would be pointless to engage in a conversation with him, I let the moment pass and continued to follow him silently.

At the end of the hall way, Kisame appeared arround the corner, a toothy grin at his lips

"You're late Itachi. That's rare for you."

"You can thank Sakura for that on her lack of ability to wake up like a proper ninja should."

I rolled my eyes, still not caring if Itachi ripped the eyes right out of my face. It wasn't my fault if I woke up or not- so I really didn't give a rip about it. Kisame laughed, and knowing right what to do- walked beside Itachi, seeming to know where he was going. I once again reverted to the brains in a jar theory. It would explain why they all knew right what to do by just looking at eachother.

In reality, I knew their brains weren't in jars, and it finally began to make sense as to why they were so lethal as a group. Their actions and movements were choeographed perfectly together, and it seemed as though they could communicate by just a glance. I felt a small spark of anticipation at the thought of being able to watch the fight between them and Orochimaru.

It would be incredible to see.

We walked out of the hotel and into the warm night air, encouraging my decision further that we were still in the country of fire- though I wasn't for certain. Where were we headed? The curiosity was killing me. The streets were busier than before- except now filled with a much more wild persona type. Scanitly clothed girls lined the streets where the only thing they wore an abundance of was makeup. Nasty skanks- probably teeming with STD's and herpes. They waved at us, calling off their price or promises of this or that- even saying that they had rom for me in the mix too.

Kisame laughed loudly when my face flushed, the mental image of me, all those hoes, plus Itachi and Kisame raiding into my mind.

"If I didn't know better- I'd say you were a virgin Sakura." he responded, after we got to a less populated street.

"Kisame." Itachi cut in with a warning tone, signifying that it was improper to ask, or state such a thing. In an odd way, I had a ton of respect for Itachi. Granted I still hated him, and would enjoy watching him die...but he was truly trying to make sure that I was treated fairly- at least as fair as it could be for a girl in my position. Funny thing was though, I didn't really mind it his words all that much

Kisame gave another small laugh in reguardless, "Just saying..." I couldn't help but smirk at his comment. I wasn't a virgin by any means- but I hadn't slept around either. If I had a good date and one thing led to another- I didn't really mind it all that much. As long as personal relationships didn't get in the way of my career, I had no problem with my actions. Also, adding in the fact that Ino was my best friend- queen of getting who she wants- when she wants- and even how she wants if she played her cards right- made me not so alarmed about the ordeal as an entirety.

However, the whole event with Deidara was by far crossing the line. I was drunk- slept with a man I had never even met before- and the worst part of it all being the fact that he was a member to the organization I had been trying to destroy sense I got my job at the C.O.

Walking for a few more moments, we met up with the rest of the group, outside some loud noisy club across the street. Of all the places to stop now- here? Really? I couldn't even hear what inner Sakura had to say- and she was inside my own head! Not only that, but why were the rest of the Akatsuki here? Did the plans change so where we were leaving ealier? I doubted it- this was the center of the city.

"What are we doing here? I thought we weren't meeting up for 2 more hours?" I asked, having to yell over the roar of the music. Kisame spoke to me, also speaking up loudly, "That was the plan- but Zetsu noticed one of Orochimaru's higherups are here- we tracked him to this club. Thought it would be best to dig some information about him while we were here- saves time later."

The goup was talking amoungst eachother, not quite loud enough where I could hear unless I tried incredibly hard to- which I wasn't to concearned about. I would just follow them around and do what they said- and come 2 days we would be at the hideout and it would be that much easier to learn their system.

After a moment of them talking, I noticed a few glances would shift to me, then back to the surrounding group, then back to me. Finally, Hidan turned to me, apparently being the one to ask whatever was on their minds, "Sakura- how old are you?"

"Uh...I'm 19..why?"

Hidan nodded, the group getting puzzled looks on their faces, continuing to talk. Perhaps I should be listening, though like they just did, they would ask me anything they needed and figure out their own solutions. I preferred to stay out of the mix for now- at least until i had my footing again.

The group nodded, turning to me, "This club only permits 21 years olds, leaving you three options. Lie, find your own way in, or stay out here and wait for us until 2." Itachi stared at me for an answer, though continued talking, speaking uncharicteristically loud so he could get over the roar of the croud

Before I could even answer, the group had begun walking across the street, headed in with the crowd.

"Hey- hey wait- uh!" It was the strangeest revalation. I by no means wanted to be around them, however now that they had left me, I was chasing after them. Did that even make any sense? Deciding not to be so drasitic and think it through first, I moved to the corner of the building, not following the main streem of people headed to the gaurds out the door. I could lie- but if they caught me and then saw me inside- they'd kick me out for certain.

I was not staying outside like an abandoned puppy waiting for their return. I would find my own way in. Looking around to be sure no one was around, I pulsed chakra into my feet and jumped above the building, landing on the roof with ease. I hadn't seen an air conditioning vent on the side of the building- meaning one would have to be inside. With that many people, it would get far too hot to not have one. Depending on the size of the air vents, I might be able to crawl down through there.

Bingo.

At the corner of the building there was a large AC system- I would easily be able to fit through the pipes. I pushed the large machine out of the way, slightly feeling bad. That would be quite the expense to pay for, but I had done worse in my life. At least I didn't have to blow a hole in the wall. I lowered myself down the ascending pipe, using my arms to hold my body weight as I inched lower into the building.

Feet finally meeting the ground, I crouched down, officially in the building.

Well...technically at least..

I paused so I could focus my eyes to the dim lighting, taking time to discover where the source of the loud music was. That would be the main dance floor- which is where I needed to be. Deciding it best to turn towards the left, I focused chakra in my hands and knees to cusion each step so I wouldn't be heard by anyone below.

I continued moving through the vents, taking another left, than a right, knowing that I was right over the dance floor. Good- now I just needed to find the nearest exit out of here and join the guys. I looked around at the last few turn offs, seeing a large beam of light. There we go.

I crawled over to the light source, a large open metal grate in the side (most likely used to clean out the ventilation system) I looked outside, checking to make sure no one was around when I decended from the cealing. Unscrewing the grate off with my kunai, I gracefully jumped out and landed on the floor without making the slightest noise, grabbing the falling grate in the air before it landed as well.

I screwed it back on, dusting myself off from any dirt or anything I may have picked up, and after shaking it out, headed out to the main floor. A passing by beer girl was walking around with a tray full of shooters, which I grabbed one off quickly. I instantly downed it- telling myself it was more for my job than because I wanted it. It would be suspicious for me to not have alcohol on my breath, considering the time and the crowd persona- but in reality...

I blamed Tsunade again.

I gazed around the room, finally seeing a few standing around the enterance. I grinned, cutting onto the dance floor, then joining the small incomplete group. Deidara noticed me, looking shock that I was there already. The only ones that had made it in so far was Itachi, Deidara, and Kisame, the line was that rediculous I suppose

"That was fast" Deidara stated above the roar of the music, looking around the area

I nodded, "Took the air vents- good choice too apparently. That line must be really long"

Itachi nodded, "Lets move over to the corner- they'll find us when they get in."

And the four of us headed over to an empty wooden table, not really even making conversation until everyone showed up. They quickly began discussing what to do- possible options- and how to do it so we didn't waste any time. So far they were leaning towards profiling him to find out where he would live roughly, meet him at his house and beat it out of him. God men were so violent.

Itachi didn't all too much care for that idea, which I found myself agreeing with him. There was no saying he lived in this village- in fact it was highly unlikely because he was a ninja- this town was a tourist town.

"Just who are we looking for?" I asked finally, knowing that I didn't even know what the guy looked like

Kisame carefully pointed over through all the neon rave lights, signaling to a man across the room, surrounded by pretty girls, and a couple men that I asssumed to be body gaurds. The group continued talking, though I continued to watch the man, being sure it wasn't obvious that I was staring at him or anything so I didn't cause any suspicion to rise.

I watched him scan the dancing crowd, watching for some unknown thing as the girls were wrapped around him. After a long moment, he pointed to someone in the crowd- some pretty girl- laughing with one of the men beside him. I gave a small sigh- these stupid Akatsuki men. It wasn't all that complicated really.

You just had to look at him and find out what his weakness was- girls. They were too busy making up all their 'beat it out of him' plans that they forgot to check the obvious...but then again, I suppose that come anyother normal mission it wouldn't have mattered. They never had a girl on their squad so the use of one really was never even added into the mix.

I stood up, breaking off all their attention.

"Sakura wh-" Itachi asked, looking more questioning than actually annoyed.

"Look do you want my help or not guys?" I sassed, not beliving I was going to do this. Someone stop me...seriously.

"What do you-"

"Look at that guy- give me 10 seconds with him and I'll have him spilling everything he knows."

At first they looked at me like I was crazy- not even understanding with what I meant by '10 seconds with him' I really hope they took that in the right way when they saw what I was referring to about our target. The guy was surrounded by girls- and now that girl he had previously pointed to was out on the floor with him.

Yes. This would work for sure.

The group turned back to me, smirking slightly "It would mean we could leave on time still" Sasori nodded

Kisame added in, "If anything goes wrong- we can cut in"

Itachi had a slight smirk, "Perhaps it will be beneficial to have a girl around after all." he paused for a moment, "Be careful- whatever you are going to do."

I nodded firmly, suprising them as I unzipped my top shirt- having a short red tube top underneath it. They gave me odd looks, not quite sure what to make of the event, though I didn't allow myself to get caught up in the emotions of it all. It wasn't personal- it was buisness. Partnering with the Akatsuki? Buisness. Knowing how to use my feminine charm? Buisness.

And if it was buisness- I could get it done.

I pulled my hair out of the pony tail- instantly thankful that Itachi had indeed soaked my hair. The water now made my hair have a messy, wild curl to it that I gave a slight shake to for volume and maximum effectiveness. I turned to look back at the group, still staring at my two second transformation.

"What?" I demanded, shrugging my shoulders, "Seriously- remember I'm a kounichi. We get trained how to do this stuff way back in the academy"

The men still stared at me quizically, not quite sure what to make to the situation. It would work- but just the transformation in charachter and my willingness to help threw them off I think

I explained quickly, wanting to not waste any time, "I need this guy to notice me- bring me to his court. He does that and I'll be good to go. Pretty much- I'll stumble over there, convince him to get alone, and from there I'll figure it out."

Hidan sighed, "And if anything goes wrong? Your hokage seriously would kill Pein if anything happened to you...well, try to anyways."

Itachi's gaze shifted to mine, seeing how I would answer this question. I rolled my eyes, giving a light toss of my hair, "Please. This guys half intoxicated- and I'm a medical ninja- one false move and I can take him down with one jolt to his nervous system. Worst case scenario, have Itachi or any of you guys moniter my chakra. If it flares up suddenly, you know something's gone wrong. But don't worry- it won't."

And with that, I got an approving nodd from Itachi

I headed over to the edge of the floor, unsure about how to go about things. Somehow, I had to get the guy to notice me. All I had to do was-

"You wanna bring that to the dance floor?" a man's voice caught my attention, and inner Sakura smirked. This just might be one of the first things that had actually gone right lately.

"Only if you take me." I replied back, giving a dark smile to lure this man in further. The guy had brown hair, around 5'8ish or so. I didn't notice any markings that would mean he was a ninja- therefore no threat to me.

I allowed him to put a hand on my waist and lead me off- something I would never allow a stranger to do- but this wasn't normal life at this moment. Right now, I was in ninja kounichi mode, and I knew how to work what I got.

The man led me to the inner circle, which was perfect. The middle always got the most attention- I just had to outshine the girls around me and get that guy to point me over. Allowing my body to loose itself in the music, I began rocking my hips as each pulse of the beat moved through the air. The man began to base his movements off from mine, cooresponding perfectly.

Thank goodness this guy could dance- it would have been difficult to look good if my partner was a floundering fish.

"So what's your name?" he asked, struggling to keep his eyes on mine and off my bare shoulders

"Taysho" I responded, that often being my allias I referred to when I didn't want the risk of using my real name

"Taysho? I like it- its different. You're not from around here?" He slowly snaked his arms around my back, and I took the opportunity to lean backwards, laying back to the side, then around, then back up slowly. I didn't have to guess where his eyes were- but at the moment, he didn't matter. I just needed to get my target to notice me as well.

"No, I'm traveling up for college, this place looked like fun so- thought I'd stop in." That was always a safe option- claim the identity of a ditsy party girl and that usually ends the questioning, believeing that they know enough about you to get you in bed if that's the type of girl you are.

"I'm glad you did." he responded, grinding his hips into mine. I could feel a chill go down my spine- as this was not something I was truly used to doing, but I pushed the unease down and pulsed back, giving a laugh and rolling my hips again. I raised my hands in the air, matching the rest of the drunken girls around me, moving from side to side and dancing harder against the man.

Finally, at the end of the song- my efforts had paid off.

"Hey Ms- my employer would like to see you- spare a moment?"

"Uh...sure" I pretended to sound dumb founded, though inner Sakura was laughing and cheering loudly. 'Whoo! Way to get 'em crazy slut!' I couldn't help but laugh.

I followed the guy, not even saying goodbye to the random guy that had made it so I would get noticed. I followed the suited man around and to the back of the dance floor, into a little side room. In most cases, this would be really- really bad, however right now, things just kept getting easier and easier for me.

"You wanted to see me?" I asked with a bright mischevious smile, leaning against the door frame invitingly. The man nodded to his men, and they left the room, shutting the door behind them.

This was too perfect. If I had known it would be this easy, I would have gone to the dance floor to begin with. Stupid Akatsuki. When you want to get something done- send in a freakin' girl. That's the only way.

The man stood up, walking circles around me, eyes trailing my body.

"I saw you dancing out there."

"Yeah?"

"Who was that guy- your boyfriend?"

"What boyfriend?" I asked innocently, looking at the man with a smirk, "That guy was just the guy for that song buut...as far as I know, a new songs playing now."

He came up closely behind me, rubbing his face in my neck, "I like you already- Taysho."

--

"That was...impressive." Itachi admitted, as we walked out of the building. I smirked proudly, zipping back up my normal outer shirt, not really use to walking around in a tube top.

"And here you guys wanted to follow him all the way back to yesteryear. Who knows how long that might have taken. I think I have everything you guys wanted to know about him though."

Sasori laughed, "What did you do to the guy?"

I felt my face heat up slightly, now returning back to real life where I didn't act like a slut, "I gave the guy a lap dance- asking questions about his life and basic stuff- switched to carrer- had him take a few more shots- kept the heat going and soon he didn't even know what he was saying. He passed out pretty quickly- so I just left him there telling the people he passed out- they didn't suspect anything."

Kisame nodded, "And it's only 11:25- not bad at all."

Itachi added in, "Alright- we'll get some dinner, discuss what he said, then head out on scheduale."

We entered into a small tavern, bare and empty from the attention drawing clubs all around it. The place had a quiet, southern bar feel to it, and soft guitar sounds could faintly be heard upon walking in. Taking a seat around one of the banquet tables, we all ordered drinks and food, waiting till the waitress left to begin the information disection.

"Alright, what did he say-"

"First and foremost, he said Orochimaru's main headquarters- the one where they are doing most of their dealings- and the one where Orochimaru himself usually is, resides somewhere in Lightning Country- around Kumo the guy said. He said that his newest intentions are to win over more people for a stronger army-"

"He's beginning preparations for the battle at Konoha." Kakuzu stated, staring down into his water glass

"So we have time" Deidara.

"But not that much." Zetsu.

"And not only that but we know where he is roughly. Kumo is a geograpically odd region- there are very few places such a large hideout could even be in that area."

After a long moment of silence, Itachi looked at me, "Will we be having any future run ins if he comes to and remebers what he told you?"

I shook my head, "No I drugged one of his shots- he'll wake up, remember me as just a pretty face, but nothing of what we said. I doubt he will even remember anything after he saw me on the dance floor."

He nodded again, the group staying silent until the food arrived

"Alright we will start organizing solid plans once we arrive at the hideout- until then however, we can't quite do much with it. Nice work kounichi."

I grinned, stabbing into my food proudly. I doubted it would be near as good as my cooking, but I was starving this morning- and it was now midnight. If they served me a piece of cardboard with gravy ontop- I'd eat it.

We ate quickly, the group as a whole wanting to stay on scheduale and leave before midnight.

We left the busy city, moving at high speed again as we ran off into the night. I wasn't quite sure where we were headed, and the euphoric moment of my sucess died down quickly, replaced by fear and frustration mixed together. I was frustrated by...myself. Why did I do that? What did I care if they got behind scheduale? I should have let them track the guy down and waste possible weeks- then laughed in their faces when I told them that I could have done it in less than an hour.

And that also made me afraid. Ino's last words to me was to remember that I was Konoha- and that they were they. Not like I wanted to be a pain, but I didn't want to jump at an opportunity to help them

...Which is exactly what I just did.

And not like I enjoyed being around them by any means, but when I was first told a mere 24 hours ago, I was mortified...now though, I was still afraid and all and I didn't want to do it, but there was a complacency around the idea. No. I still hated the Akatsuki- they hurt Naruto- their members hurt people and innocents, only had self gain in their minds.

Not something I would ever be apart of.

I sighed, shaking the internal battle out of my head as we continued to move into the night. It was only day 1- I was just nervous and wanting to be accepted- that was it. In a week, it would all be back to normal and I would regain my previous level of hatred and disdain.

I would not forget who I was.

As we traveld, night turned to day, then day to night again. We were back in forestry area- which could only mean we were coming up to the Earth Country, or the small lands that surrounded them.

The group suddenly stopped together, jumping down to the ground in unisen. I myself had not seen this coming, and came down a trees later. I rolled my eyes upon landing, many of the guys staring at me with a smirk at my lack of telekenetic communication. Kisame smirked

"We usually stop here in our travels. Tommorrow we cross earth country borders and its wise to be rested up. By this time tommorrow, we should be at the hideout. It's all routine by now for us- just get some sleep."

The group started heading off, doing various different tasks, leaving me standing in the same place, looking just as retarded. What to do...? I saw Deidara out of the corner of my eye and chased after him. I wasn't sure why- but I didn't want to look stupid. Even walking with someone to do whatever they were doing would make me feel more sucessful.

"Hey uh-"

"What do you want?"

I sighed. We really didn't get along...

"What is going on...I mean, everyone is seperating up."

He shrugged, still walking into the forest, "We all have stuff to get done. I fill up all the water containers, Itachi starts the fire, Sasori sets up traps around the area, Kisame scouts a 20 mile radius, Hidan and Kakuzu usually do different tasks- if its higher security area they keep watch- stuff like that. When we leave they are in charge of making sure there is no trace we were ever there"

I nodded, amazed by the system. They really had everything planned down to the wire- though I suppose you would have to when traveling in such a large group with people from everywhere trying to kill you.

"That's...really intricate."

"It's to keep trackers like you and other villages off our backs."

I scoffed, "Oh please- you guys know you don't do the greatest good for the world to say the least. You do wrong and we will come after you. You think it's just a coincidence that most people hate you guys?"

Deidara just rolled his eyes, mumbling as if I were a hopless person, "The only hate in the world is a passionate form of fear. The only fear in the world is what one does not understand. The only crime we have commited it not following what some view as right and wrong."

We continued walking, comming across a small river cutting through the forest edge.

"Killing people?"

"If you aren't willing to open your mind pixie- then I can't help you understand a thing." he responded, leaning over to the ground and filling up a canister slung over his back.

Confused by his statement, knowing that saying something rude and sarcastic wouldn't help, I crossed my arms with a sigh, grabbing a bottle from behind him and letting the water run into it. The two of us said nothing, just filled up all the containers in silence with nothing but the sound of water to fill the air.

Screwing on the last lid, we both stood up, Deidara pulling the last bottle around his shoulder resembling a tourist hiker lost in the woods in the wrong forest. I looked at him, trying not to laugh.

"..What?"

"N-nothing!" I spilled out, suddenly laughing so hard at how funny he looked with a pluthera of water bottles over his shoulder. In reality, it wasn't that funny- but I just couldn't stop laughing.

"What's funny?" he asked, seeming to be both creeped out and entertained at my outburst.

I shook my head, biting back my laughter and trying not to break out all over again. I tried to explain, "Y- You just look so funny with all those water bottles- it's like your a crazy survivor man doomed to fail!"

He gave me a michevious smrik, using one arm to shove me backwards- straight into the river. I fell down on my back, instantly sinking to the bottom like a rock. Only one word came to mind.

Cold.

I came up sputtering out the water, gaping at him in horror. "YOU!" I hissed, earning a laugh from him.

"Now who looks funny?"

----

A/n: Man this chapter was intense to get out! Doesn't seem like it I'm sure, but this was actually really hard to get out on paper- and on that note, I have some bad news. Because of intensified classes and college and scholarship stuff- I am up to my neck in paperwork and just work in general. I don't think I'll get terribly behind, however, after this NEXT update, I may change my updates to every two weeks, instead of every week on Tuesday. Sorry that it may inconvienience you, but I promise you I am trying. Thanks for all your support guys- I look forward to posting up chapter 7 on Tuesday, we will have to see how it goes after that m'kay?


	7. Road trips with no road

Sakura: Hey guys!

Itachi: Out of the corner now?

Midnight: Yeah- thought I wouldn't see you for a few more chapters..

Sakura: What's that supposed to mean midnight...Something you need to tell us?

Midnight: Well, that is why I am writing a story on a timely fashion.

Itachi: Sure to be an empty promise..

Midnight: You know I think I'm beginning to like Sasuke more and more. I can totally replace you Mr. so don't push it.

Itachi: No you can't.

Midnight: Can too! I'M the author

Sakura: Meaning...

Midnight: Meaning that I can do whatever I want to- so if I choose to replace you with Sasuke- so be it. I reserve that right!

Itachi: Rights? Pfft. You talk big, but if you do get rid of me, you get rid of your readers. You can't keep them locked in a closet forever.

Midnight: (glare) I do NOT kept them in closets! And I can find a way to-

Sakura: (rolls eyes) They'll be at it all night- suppose its a good thing Midnights posting now or Tuesday will come and go and she won't even post- the lazy bum. So you may thank me- Sakura- for being responsible and making sure you guys get to read this even if it is a couple hours early. I'm sure you don't mind. Feel pity for me though, cause my life no thanks to the 'author' completley sucks.

I instantly was awoke to the newest sensation of cold again- a feeling that I had recently felt before.

Itachi.

I shot up with a jolt like electricity, staring up at, sure enough- Itachi- with empty water bottle. I gave a sigh, not even bothering to say anything, just standing up and wiping the water off my face. If this is what I had to deal with for the next portion of my life- I quit. Routinely pulling my drenched hair back after ringing out what I could, I stood up, stretching slightly.

Itachi smirked, "One day you'll wake up before you are soaked kounichi."

"And you'd best watch your back because that's the day I'm stabbing your hand."

"Let's head off." Itachi stated louder, the rest of the awake members giving a nod and jumping up into the trees- myself included. It was early dawn, not dark out but not enough light where everything was properly laminated. The earth was now soft toned colors, reflecting the hues of the rising sun. There was very little noise, everything very still as life was coming awake.

Even the sun had more commen sense than to be up so early- that was my logic. If the sun wasn't up, then I shouldn't be either. That seemed to work well lately huh?

"So what's the plan?" I asked, after beginning to jump through the trees silently, wondering what details would be happening as we traveled to earth country, and what would be happening after that.

"Make it to the earth country." One said after a moment of silence.

I sighed. Fine. I understood. No questions were to be asked that actually required communication.

"You ask pointless questions." Sasori stated, as if concentrating on the thought then actually deciding to say it, waiting a couple minutes to speak.

"Well you make rude statements- any other particle we want to state and get out of the way?" I asked sarcastically, forcing myself to not roll my eyes like I wanted to.

"He's right though. You state far too many things that are obvious." Kisame grinned, feeling as if he had earned more of my respect so I'd listen to him. As if. The only person I might have listened to was either Itachi, because he was the leader, or Deidara...because out of all of them...I knew him the best. I think.

"You can learn a lot by just observing what's around you. Based off from movement and eye contact alone, you can tell what people's next moves are- then such statements can be avoided" Zetsu stated, poking out from the tree ahead.

Good Lord- what was with this lecture?! I wasn't some genin ok? I knew all this! They didn't have to degrade me and treat me as if I were a child just because I wasn't born and raised in crazy town. I didn't go around telling them how to heal people, they shouldn't tell me to 'be more observant'

And what's wrong with a conversation anyway.

...But on the other hand, I realized I wasn't that much up for conversation anyway. Granted I didn't like silence, and being a girl, I enjoyed talking while we traveled, however...that would mean conversing with these murderers- and I wasn't quite sure it was worth it.

I didn't want to be here. I didn't want to be with them...

I hated them.

To be honest- I think these men had served to ruin my life more in the past 3 days than anyone else in my entire life. Heck- at least Sasuke's drama was spread apart over the years. These men were going for the figurative kill though. And they were making a heck of a start.

Feeling rather beat up and ganged up on, I took my hint and shut up. Traveling the rest of the journey wouldn't be that bad anyhow. I needed the time to think and organize my thoughts over this. I needed a plan as to how I would live there and keep various things in check

1. I had to be there and first and foremost, and not kill myself

2. Find a way to be useful but not be trampled on- but not too useful.

3. I had to stay a member of Konoha- I would not ever put them before Konoha- they were they- and we were we. Water and oil.

I couldn't forget who I was, or what I represented. Ever.

I continued to debate and plague myself with worry- all my emotions I had pressed down during the journey coming back up. The normal, thick headed, independent Sakura was slowly taking a backseat to all my insecurities that finally began to rationalize in an entirely new list that started to rationalize.

1. This was the AKATSUKI

2. I was a girl- surrounded by men. Young, technically eligible, men.

3. They were way stronger than me.

4. I was miles away from home or help. If something went wrong- or they decided to beat me or god knows what- than they could.

5. They'd get away with it

6. I would be physically LIVING with these people until it was all said and over

I couldn't help but mentally panic. My second list of fear DOUBLED my first list- how would this work out?! I mean, even having to follow these guys around for x months would be miserable...but I would be in the building- every waking and sleeping moment I had- spent in the company of these criminals?

I was a girl!

Immorality on an all time high! I mean really, think about it. I was a girl- living with only guys- all young, technically considered 'hott' by many girls standards... If you heard this on the street- what would you think? And especially adding in the fact that I had already slept with one of them...it didn't make the outlook any better.

"Be wary- we are crossing the borders into earth country." Itachi stated after a few hours of journeying, the atmosphere tense and quiet.

I couldn't shake the feeling of dread from my body. Not only was I out of my village, in a few moments, I would be out of the country.

I noticed a few of the guys stares, apparently they were rather observant and picked up on my unease, though none of them attempted to say any comforting words of encouragement. I doubted they were capable of such a thing anyhow.

I noticed the group gradually moved in a tighter huddle- proof that this was a dangerous area. Everyone's eyes were darting every which way, waiting for anything that might happen. The air itself seemed tense and still, as if we were traveling through jello more than an air filled sky. I could feel adrenaline course through my veins as the atmosphere became more and more tense.

I found myself constantly staring at Itachi, who in the process had his sharingan activated. (Not a good sign by any means) I wasn't sure if I was watching him because I was reading him for any emotion or first sign of something being wrong, or if it was because it was the first time in a long while that I had had the time to look at the strange trait.

As a professional in the medical field, such odd phenotypes intrigued me to no end. What was it in the genetic code that made such things a possibility? How did they evolve just right- and what coding proteins created it? In theory if you could replace the A's C's and G's of a normal DNA sequence to match with that of an advanced bloodline, you could replicate such traits into individuals, even if the trait no longer existed.

Though of course that sounded much easier on paper than it did in the lab. I wasn't quite sure how such a thing could be done, but I'm sure with research advancing like it is, such knowledge wouldn't be that far off.

"Hidan, Kakuzu" Itachi stated in a hushed, sharp whisper, eyes boring to the side where the two men were. I too shifted my gaze to the men, unsure of what was going on, and rather tense from the uncertainty.

"We know." Kakuzu added in with a nod, gazing at Hidan with concentration. Hidan gave him a small look, then nodded. In a flash, the two jumped backwards high into the air, and I couldn't suppress a gasp at my surprised. Itachi looked at me, I at him.

"Where are they-"

"Taking care of a few tracker ninja that guard the borders." he stated quickly, trying to silence me quickly. Understanding just enough, though generally confused still, I gave a nod and fell silent, allowing my senses to prick and become further aware of my surroundings. I couldn't help but wonder what was taking place where Hidan and Kakuzu were headed. In fact, I wasn't aware we were being followed at all.

How did they know? Such incredible ability would explain why we never really could catch them- they must have known the entire time if we were around or not, able to judge it best to fight or flee. It somewhat frustrated me. I thought Konoha was some great threat to them- that we were just one or two steps behind them and would be on a breakthrough any day.

This seemed to be far from the case.

We traveled onward, agonizingly slow, so as to make sure we didn't fall into any traps or miss important details. Everything seemed to be going well- still tense and focused- but at least we were still moving further into Earth Country. It truly was a hostile place- I had only had to go to the place a handful of times including this one, and none of them were pleasant memories.

My heart suddenly skipped a beat, my chakra sensing skills reared into overdrive as I picked up on foreign chakra. Granted for all I knew, it could be Kakuzu and Hidan returning- their chakra signatures were still unknown to me- but when the entire group tensed and quit moving onward, I knew this wasn't the case.

We stopped moving, and a strange calm fell over the men. Though it was obvious they were focused, it wasn't high tensity and adrenaline. They were...poised. Instead of hasty and fidgety guys, like Naruto would be when there was something wrong, it was obvious they were filtering their energy into their task along- waisting none on anticipation or nervousness.

I had to fight to keep from fidgeting and keep focus. I tried to match with the Akatsuki members, though it was difficult for me to look different from a coiled cat that had gotten stepped on.

Deidara took a gaze to the left, then right, then to Itachi, "How many are there?"

Itachi closed his eyes, a tense line of concentration in his forehead, "I'm estimating about 30 or 40."

I had to bite my lip to keep from sighing or shrieking out a 'what?!' At least thirty people trailing us? What happened to Hidan and Kakuzu taking care of them? Or perhaps this was someone else...?

As if on cue, they divided up into their smaller partner groups, leaving me in a triangle with Deidara and Sasori, being that who I was standing by. Deidara tightened his fists, speaking to me, though keeping a hard stare forward, "So you're with us then?"

I shrugged, "Not sure...I'm just standing here."

Deidara gave a small scoff of a laugh, though kept concentrated.

With a shift of the wind, suddenly we were circled in the open field area by a large group of me, all staring at us angrily. I was hard not to jump at their sudden entrance, as I wasn't as certain like I would be if I were in a team from Konoha. I knew them, I trusted them- I fit in there. Here I was odd one out. You could even tell by looking at me that I didn't belong.

For one, I was the only girl, and two, they were all back to wearing their signature cloaks- while I was wearing my usual medic clothes. I hardly fit in at all, and a part of me felt as if I were having to fight the men alone, regardless the fact that I knew this wasn't true.

One of the men from the enemy group stepped forward, and I tensed slightly at his hard glare on me in particular. Good lord was it so offensvie that I wasn't wearing the same uniform that he had to glare at me? Seriously what a drama king.

"What are you doing here? This territory is in Earth Country's lands- we don't take well to intruders." he yelled, the vivid expression of murder evident in his eyes. Itachi shifted, moving a small step forward, taking a stand as the leader of our group.

"We aren't here to cause you trouble- we are simply passing through."

The man laughed with cynicism, "Ha! Don't play us down to be stupid. We know who you are- all of you! You are the cursed Akatsuki that's causing so much havoc across the nations. You have warrants here in our country- and I'm afraid we're going to have to take you in."

I glanced up at Deidara, unsure of what was going to transpire. Was Itachi going to try to work it out without violence? I'm sure this man didn't know how strong any of them were or he wouldn't be saying such things, but if the large group didn't back down, we would be forced to go into combat.

The man looked at me, "And what have we here?" Deidara's eyes narrowed, and I saw his body tense, the same tenseness in my own self. If only for one moment, couldn't I just fit in?

The man walked over towards me, Deidara going on the offensive as he approached me, pulling out a kunai when Itachi's voice cut him off

"Deidara."

He glared at the sharingan wielder, earning a smirk from the approaching man when he made eye contact with the angered blonde. Stepping aside with gritted teeth, the man moved to me, grabbing my chin and turning my face every which way for inspection.

I felt my body go ridgid as my breath caught in my throat, unsure what to do. What was this guy getting at? Was I supposed to fight this guy off or what?

Finally, the guy gave a small look of confusing, crossing his arms. "Hm. I don't recognize you- you don't fit in with this group. Who are you?"

...Must he state the obvious?

I glared at the man, tensing as he stared at me like a puzzle to be solved, "How did you get affiliated with the Akatsuki- little Konoha girl?"

"Ah- moron knows how to read headband symbols. Good little moron." I stated with sarcasm, inner Sakura speaking outloud before outer could control what came out.

I noticed Deidara smirk at my retort, as the man before me growled with fury at being insulted. I tried not to slap my face in aggravation. I really needed to learn how to control my tongue.

Itachi stepped in, "If you have no further business with us, please allow us to continue in our travels. We have done no harm here."

Yeah, except for killing off those tracker ninja. But other than that, clean hands. What a joke.

The man laughed, grabbing my arm, "It is obvious you have kidnapped this Konoha child and brainwashed her. When we return her- Konoha will reward us greatly. Men- destroy these outlaws."

At this command, everyone tensed and instantly kunai were flying at the Akatsuki, who all scattered before impalement.

The battle had begun.

I tugged at my arm, amazed to feel it was in his grasp still. This guy had to have immense strength in order to combat my own strength that I used to break boulders. Of course I would get stuck with this guy. Oh wel- I'd give him the opportunity to release me, and then I'd make him.

"Let me go!" I hissed, giving the man one last chance before I let loose on him.

He smirked, gripping me tighter, "They have you under that genjutsu good. I am rather amazed to see the level of devotion you have towards them."

I rolled my eyes, trying not to scoff. I didn't really want to fight- that would mean aiding the Akatsuki...but.. The guy asked for it.

I pulsed chakra into my legs, jumping into the air slightly and flipping backwards so where the man could either release me, or face plant into the ground.

Choosing the obvious choice, I was freed from his grip, leaving him glaring at me in frustration. I pulled out a kunai and charged it with a negative chakra, a green cloud forming around the metal object. Enhancing my speed with a surge of chakra, I pushed the bade right into a central artery in his arm, then right into a pressure point offset to his chest, immobilizing him quickly without doing enough damage to kill the guy.

The man fell to the ground, and I took the opportunity to look around and survey what was happening around me. It wasn't hard to figure out where the Akatsuki were, each were surrounded by a bubble of opponents. Itachi was to the right of me, about 200 ft in front of where I was. Kisame was to my north east, by the edge of the meadow area, about 500 ft away. Though I couldn't see the others individually, there was one group behind him about 300 ft, one to my left about 300 ft as well...and that was it.

...Where was the other? There should be one more bubble...

As my mind was discovering this, suddenly I was being grabbed and lifted up into the air. I screamed an thrashed against the hold of the stranger, unable to see my attacker as they were behind me.

"Sakura- Sakura it's me!"

It was the voice of Deidara, and I stopped fighting, noticing blonde hair that blew in the wind.

"Deid- why didn't you say that before you grabbed me- I could have killed you!" I hissed, noticing we were now far off the ground, and I slightly panicked, realization hitting me. How was he flying through the air?

Suddenly I was placed on this....animal..thing flying though the air, just as I was beginning to think that I was going to die from falling or something similar.

"..What in the world?" I mumbled, looking down at the creamy white structure that was moving through the air

"Questions later Sakura- I don't think we have time for explanations." he granted, shifting his focus from me and onto the battlefield. He kept staring down- as if counting or calculating or something.

"What are you-"

"I laid some land mines down. I was hoping to take them all out at once- save some time and chakra, but problem is the guys are all down there too. I don't want to blow them up as well- as fun as that might be yeah?"

I looked down at the ground, unable to see any bombs on the ground at all. Perhaps Deidara had hid them underground?

"Hey Deidara- you know where they are?" I asked, a plan beginning to form in my head.

"Uh..yeah.." he mumbled, staring forward as if mentally steering his strange creation. He probably was in fact- I didn't see any reins or anything that would make the creation restrained in any way.

"Alright," I nodded, preparing my body to use a sudden burst of chakra, "Fly over a safe area. I've got an idea." I demanded, leaving no room for doubt.

Deidara gave me a curious glance, though seeing my unaffected body stance, gave a sigh and switched directions.

"Better know what you are doing.." he mumbled under his breath, still staring down into the battles below us. Though we weren't loosing, it was a good thing that I would be ending it quickly. With so many men per just one Akatsuki member (and the fact that Deidara was currently not helping with those particular numbers) it appeared as if the battle might take a substantial amount of time, ending with chakra-less members that were still in a dangerous area.

Pretty much- we'd have to set up immediate camp so they could recuperate, wasting lord knows how much time.

I couldn't help but smirk at the realization, that this would now be my 2nd time of saving their asses in less than three days.

Suddenly, Deidara's white bird came to a slow and then hovered in the air, staying in the same place by flying in a wide circle like a hawk over it's prey.

"This it?" I asked, pointing downwards to the ground.

Deidara nodded, crouching down beside me, "Aa. There's about a 10 ft diameter safety zone right there. What's your plan anyhow?" he asked, seemingly a bit perturbed at either myself or the situation in general. Either way, it was obvious he did not like being told what to do.

"Pretty much your plan. Blow them all sky high and laugh as they disintegrate." I stated with a smirk, surprised at how dark I sounded.

Deidara nodded, "Yeeaahhh, but you can't blow up the members. I know you hate us and all but-"

"Relax ok? I've got a plan."

Deidara rolled his eyes, "That's just great. Now how exactly do you intend on detonating these bombs? They are specially made and-"

"I've got a plan." I responded, still smirking widly.

Deidara crossed his arms and grunted, "Fine. Show me how it's done seems how you are the apparent master at explosives."

"Watch and learn."

I gracefully leaped up high into the air, pulling out four kunai. With one glance around as I fell towards the earth, I tossed each just right so that it would head straight for an Akatsuki member. This wouldn't kill them- wouldn't even hurt them even. All it would do is gain their attention as they traced back to where the weapon was thrown from.

As expected, I quickly noticed a shift in their stances as they thought a different enemy was attacking from some new location, and turned to me. Shouting as loud as I could, I yelled out 'JUMP!' just before I landed onto the ground.

The second my feet made contact with the earth, I used my legs as an anchor and pulled all my strength from my body and chakra through my arm, punching the ground and releasing all the energy at one moment- sending a jolt so hard though the ground that it cracked and exploded beneath me-

And then all the bombs were triggered. One by one each exploded, until the entire area was filled with a grey smoke that lingered in the air for a few moments even after there were no more explosions, leaving the ground trembling and up heaved from the combination of my own attack plus all the detonations as well.

I heard a soft thud beside me, seeing Deidara land gracefully, and in a loud puff, the white creature was gone.

"…Just where did you learn that from?" he stated, staring at the lacerated ground in wonder.

I shrugged, "I'm not as frail as I look Deidara. I mean- I'm not what I used to be. I'm not weak any more, I can help in missions and pull my own weight. In fact, often I am the key player in many of the missions I am sent on." Realizing that somehow I had gotten off on a monologue, I cleared my throat

"Uh- Tsunade trained me. I learned how to use chakra and convert it into a physical strength from her."

"I see." Deidara stated, saying no more. He walked forward into the smoke, making it hard for me to see him. When the smoke cleared, he was standing back in the heard of men donning black cloaks with red clouds- all staring at me.

After a moment of scrutiny, where I was certain I was going to die from either intimidation or just pure annoyance, Itachi spoke up.

"That was dangerous Sakura. If you hadn't gained one of our attention, you could have very easily hurt one of us."

I rolled my eyes, "But I had already done the math. Considering how attentive I have noted you men to be sense I have been traveling with you- I knew that there was less than a 5% chance you wouldn't get the memo. However, not wanting to leave any stone unturned, I did the math already. In the unlikely event that a member does get harmed, it would take me max of an hour to heal the burns- which is much less that the amount of time it would have taken you all to regain all of your chakra-"

"And if they died?"

"Did the calculations already. If they died- you would kill me- which means that I am free from this awful fate. You know now that I think of it- I suppose it is a shame you are all so keen. To think I could be up in heaven sending birds to crap on your heads. I'm sort of bummed to be honest."

Itachi smirked at my comment, "Actually it was a wise move kounichi. You are observant as well- already able to know what you can expect from your teammates, even though the number of people to profile is vastly different and much higher thant that on a three man squad."

I grined, "Yeah...just where exactly is Kakuzu and Hidan though? They headed back yet?"

Kisame shrugged, "Knowing Hidan..." he looked at me, and as if deciding that it best not to tell me, laughed it off, "Well lets just say that he might be busy for a few hours."

I couldn't help but frown. I had no clue what that meant, but the fact that he wasn't telling me was a bit alarming.

"No matter though," Deidara said, "They'll catch up."

And after a moment of resting up and removing all traces to the fact we were there, we headed off again.

It was now mid afternoon, and we were right back to silently traveling, though Hidan and Kakuzu had yet to arrive. Oh well- none of the members seemed alarmed by it, so there was no reason to be alarmed either.

After about an hour of walking, it finally set in that things weren't near as tense anymore. The group wasn't traveling in such a tight defensive ball, and there was even random small talk made. Most likely the feeling of success was the cause of the general proud mood. As we traveled on, I found that we were on a small country road, leading to a small middle of no where town. It was a wonder people were able to survive out here- it seriously was in the middle of no where.

I couldn't help but wonder what we were doing out here- until we all started filing into a small diner and I understood. This was the second meal we had in a little over 3 days. Seems how we overall weren't pressed in battle, it would be unwise to resort for solider pills, even though it seemed inconvenient to stop at such places.

I took a seat, sitting down by Sasori- who was currently out of his ugly box. It was hard not to stare at this new form- it was just so odd to see that there was a human beneath it all.

Well...sort of at least.

"What can I get for you today?" a small country girl asked, looking no older than 14. Must have been a family business- she looked way to young to be able to have a job quite yet. I couldn't help but feel a small pang of discomfort. It seemed like just yesterday Tsunade and were in a diner together, praying that the squeaky voiced waitress would leave us alone.

"Lemonade- pink please." I stated with a sigh, setting down my menu, unable to keep the frown off my face.

I was officially beginning to miss Konoha...and Tsunade. How would I ever make it through these next few months? I couldn't help it, even if I somehow got past the anger and bitterness of being forced to live with these people- Konoha was my home. I had spent my entire life protecting it- either that or training so when the day came I could. It was hard to be away- especially when the village was under such a predicament. It was impaled in my brain to be there for Konoha- and I was hightailing it with the Akatsuki.

It felt so wrong strangely.

The waitress returned, placing the drinks around to their respective orderers, setting mine down with a smile.

"Nothin' tastes like home more than lemonade- huh Ms.?" she smiled warmly, handing me a straw before turning her attention back onto the table in general and began taking orders.

I stared at my glass of pink lemonade with a nostalgic smile, taking a small sip with a small feeling of sadness and longing. No- nothing else did I suppose. I stared around the table as each ordered with an offset feeling.

...I was going to need a lot more pink lemonade.

After paying for the bill (which slightly shocked me- I just assumed that they stole everything in life, who knew?) we headed off again, and the routine was becoming just that. Routine. I didn't talk that much- not because I was angry or anything of the sort- there was just no need to. They didn't talk and I didn't either. It was rather easy to fit in in that aspect.

I found that I was still walking beside Deidara after some time later after we left the restaurant, and I instantly scowled. Before, I was always walking on the outside of the clump- an active way of visually displaying the fact that I didn't belong with them. However now I was walking on the inside of the circle- and I didn't even notice the change for a couple hours later.

Apparently it was easier to fit in and accept them that I had thought it would be.

That was the part that angered me. Not that I was walking with them, but the fact that my senses didn't even flag the situation as dangerous. I was so used to relying on my team that I was already comfortable around the guys because they were my new teammates pretty much.

I bit back a sigh, deciding that it wasn't that harmful to walk in the group.

"Hey- we're back." The rough voice of Kakuzu stated, the two jumping in out of no where randomly. I jumped slightly at their sudden entrance, though was calm after that. At least until I caught sight of Hidan.

"The hell?!" I shrieked, unknowingly pressing back against Deidara in my shock, as if he would protect me or something. Hidan was literally covered in blood- not like a bit of splatter or anything- I mean DRENCHED in it.

His usually white hair was red, his face had red droplets all over it, not to mention the rest of him. It looked as if someone had taken a bucket of blood and threw it at him. What the hell happened? Kakuzu didn't look like that- did something go horribly wrong with Hidan so that-

"Dammit Hidan- do you have to do this every time? You could have at least waited until we got to the hideout to scare Sakura to death. Now we all have to stare at you and your bloody mess of a carcass. No wonder you took so fuckin long to get here! We had to battle off some 40 solders and you're all doing some ceremony and taking your dear sweet time _as usual_!" Kisame shouted, truly enraged, glaring at the blood stained man.

So this was...normal? Ick.

Hidan shrugged, staring up at the sky, "Jashin-sama demands sacrifice. We are not to tempt his patience. If you simply would become a believer-"

"I'd STILL go to hell." Kisame inturupted, "And so will you."

Hidan rolled his eyes, and the conversation was dropped. I however, was still curious. Was this like some weird religion of his? If so- I was an atheist. Officially.

"Uh...you alright there Sakrua?" Deidara asked after a moment, looking down to my back, which I still had pressed against his shoulder while in my shock.

"Yeah- sorry..." I squeaked in embarrassment, feeling my face heat up. How long had I been like that? Good lord- why wasn't the danger alert going off at all anymore? These were S-ranked criminals here- and not only that, but realistically looking at it, they were all males. Surely this would make my mind realize that I was in a bad situation and keep me tense as if an internal alarm were going off- yet here I was leaning against one- and nothing!

This only frustrated me further. It just wasn't in my nature to hate and distrust people- and it seemed as if my loving spirit had slowly begun to come out and accept these cretin's as my allies. In actuality, they were just that- but I wanted to be mad at them. I wanted to hate them and to use each day to plan their downfall.

..Not that I did like them- that hadn't changed at all. But my willingness to set aside my hard feelings is what shocked me and caught me off guard.

A few more hours passed by, and the group atmosphere was much less tense. We must have been out of the dangerous area then. Suddenly, Itachi turned to me, the group stopping as well on cue as usual.

"What?" I asked in curiousity, wondering why they were all staring at me.

"In advance- I apologize kounichi." he stated. Before I even knew what he meant, I felt a hard slap to the pressure point on my neck- and I slowly lost consciousness, unable to keep the smirk off my face.

Out of all the remaining Uchiha's in the world- both had now knocked me out using the exact same tactic.

Life must hate me.

I awoke in a smallish room, and a small sting of pain shot up from my neck as I sat up. I looked around, instantly confused. I was laying on a bed in the corner of a room.

A simple room.

It had one dresser with a mirror, and to the opposite corner a door- which I assumed to be the closet. The walls were a light beige, (better than white) and the brown wooden frames of the doors and dressers were a simple, yet effective accent. Directly across from the room was an open door which led out to lord knows where. I noticed a couple boxes on the ground- a pale blue carpet that matched the pale bland room- and I finally understood where I was.

We were at the hideout. Which explains why they knocked me out. It would be difficult for me to track my direct way home, now that I didn't have the last x hours of memory as they traveled, making it so if I did escape, by the time I discovered the correct way, they would have already caught up to me.

With a sigh at this thought, I switched my thoughts back onto my new quarters, trying to brighten my mood in hopes that having my own space would encourage me.

So this was my room then? It wasn't much- but it was MY room. Not Itachi's or some other strange person that would be staring at my every move. This was my space where I could be without scrutiny from the Akatsuki members.

...But on the darker half of things- this was also my prison for the next portion of time.

Great.

As I became more alert, I began to notice other things- like the sound of shouting. I couldn't hear what people were saying, but there was more than one voice and they sounded just as angry.

Testing out my feet on the pale blue carpet, I stepped down from the bed, and followed the noise out. The hallway system was intricate and confusing- and I knew that there was no way I would be able to find my way back without help. I couldn't help but notice how...rundown..everything looked. It was obvious this place was more of a last resort hideout for them- the place was a mess.

Finally, I came out to a wide opening, to see a small crowd of the Akatsuki- Hidan, Deidara, Kisame, and it looked like Zetsu as well, were all shouting at each other. Though I suppose I should be more alarmed about their shouting, I took time to notice my surroundings in this new room. This room was rather large- it looked like the main living room or loungeish area. There was a glass table in the center of the room, and on all edges of wall couches and chairs. Perhaps this was where some of their meetings were held.

Though then again, I douted it. They said that they didn't use this hideout often, and not only could you tell by looking at it, it also made sense without explanation. This place was for when they were all living together- and it was instantly obvious why they didn't.

They couldn't get along.

It was as if they were all too manly to be forced/humiliated into living with anyone other than their lone partner- and I had a feeling that even that had it rough patches at times. My discovery was solidified when I looked at the walls in this room. There were random scuffs and dents- no doubt from times when one had lost their cool and had attacked another member.

They were so loud, that even here, I couldn't understand what they were saying- they were each just shouting out as loud as they could. I doubted they even knew I was in the room. I was halfway wondering if I should try to split them up, or take a seat and wait for bloodshed.

Deciding to go from a different approach (most likely the more daring side of me) I walked forward, moving into the middle of the group until one by one they noticed that I had suddenly appeared from no where and the shouting slowly died down as they stared at me.

"Finally wake up?" Kisame asked, crossing his arms and glaring at the other members, though still trying to be polite to me apparently.

"Yeah.." I nodded slowly, somewhat wishing I had left them to their arguing. "Uh...I'm a bit lost though.." I admitted, trying to sway all the focus on myself that way they would stop wanting to kill each other. Why I cared was beyond me- but it would be nice to not have to deal with shouting and such. That would drive me crazy in a heartbeat.

"Deidara will show you around." Kisame huffed in response

"What?!"

"Just go.." he mumbled, giving up the fight and sitting down on one of the couches.

Deidara all but groaned, cynicism heavy in his voice,"Fine.. come on. Let's pretend that any of us know this area, after all, we come here so much... I'll give you the grand tour."

With a slow nod, I followed him as he lead me through the hall I had come out of, explaining as he walked, "That's the main room- also the main entrance I suppose you could say. I'm not sure really. You ever want to hang out or whatnot, that's the room for it. Sad to think that such an organization even has a place like this...Being forced to live with all these people is simple cruel and unusual punishment as far as I'm concerned, but there you have it. "

I scoffed, "Yeah? And how do you think I feel. At least you are allies with these people. You're all out to kill my best friend." I retorted, earning a groan from Deidara.

"Just stop your bitching and keep walking. This hall leads to the kitchen- or your bedroom- depending on how you look at it." It took me a moment to catch onto what he was saying, though once I did, it was hard to let go.

"Sexist." I hissed, "That's not funny."

"Woman's place is in the kitchen" he shrugged, as if it were just common knowledge more than an offensive statement. I rolled my eyes again, deciding that this place just made everyone tense. I had just woke up and within ten minutes I was ready to kill something, starting with the sexist tour guide in front of me.

"It has a small dining table and all in there- not that we eat together like a happy little family or anything though. Usually everyone just eats in their own room, though, on the other hand to that, I've only been here once. The less we run into each other the smoother it all turns out, that I can guarantee." He sighed, shaking his head in disgust "God I hate this place.."

He continued walking, he continued explaining where each hall lead to, turning this way or that, showing me the general layout of the place, "There's the bathroom- well one of them at least- this hall here leads to the training grounds if I remember right.." he mumbled, as if speaking to himself in recollection more than me. "But don't get too excited about that. It's just an open field really. Why it's called a training ground is beyond me. Usually we just spar with one another- but even that is rare."

I nodded, feeling the need to converse with him for whatever reason, mainly out of curiosity "So- why do you all hate this place so much...and what were you fighting about?"

"Back there?" he asked, using his head to point behind him towards the main room. I nodded, and he gave a slow shrug

"Orochimaru stuff. Kisame doesn't agree with some of Pein's ideas about how some...things...should work out. Says its too soon and too dangerous."

"What things?" I asked, noticing that he was deliberately keeping details out of it

He sighed, shaking his head, "Nothing that you'd want to know about I'm certain. Anyhow it doesn't matter- no need to stress yourself out about it. Oh that's our meeting room- more formal one on one kind of thing with Pein. Mission sends outs and stuff- though as said before- we aren't at this hideout that much because there is not usually a need for us to all be at the same place together like this."

"I see.." I stated out of politeness, though his tour was currently the last thing on my mind, "Hey Deidara?"

"Aa?"

"Why did you join the Akatsuki- I mean, how does that process to getting from a normal human being to an Akatsuki member even begin?"

Deidara smirked, "Why are you asking? If you think I am going to answer just so you can run back to your little hokage then you are fairly stupid. Though, I am talking to the girl that sleeps around with random men so-"

"Well last time I checked you woke up in the same bed I did- and no I don't sleep around." I defended, clenching my fists tight and narrowing my sea green eyes at him.

He seemed to laugh at my reaction, answering my first question

"Well- I didn't even want to join- but I got in a bet that I'd beat Itachi- something like that at least- and I lost. It was hard at first to no longer live life how I wanted to and all, but once you get used to it, I'm sure you too will find its not that bad. Give it some time and you might find you fit in Pixie."

"I highly doubt that I will ever fit in with a group of pretentious, dramatic little-"

"Done giving the new recruit her tour?"

It was the voice of Itachi, who currently ran into us as the hall made a T.

Deidara nodded, finding even further entertainment at my being interrupted "I'd say about so- not like there is a whole bunch to see here. Hell is hell no matter which hall you take."

Itachi nodded, and I was quite certain he was giving some form of silent communication to go away, because without another word, Deidara walked off, leaving Itachi and I walking onward.

I had mixed feelings about this. I really wanted to tell that Deidara off- now I had all this pent up anger- and exploding it onto Itachi was not a labile option really.

"Well..." I asked after a moment, finding the situation to be more and more awkward "Do you need something, or are you just trying to scare the hell out of me. To be honest, it's kind of working."

Itachi smirked at my honesty, "No- actually I just came to inform you of what is expected around here. Generally- don't run off. No secrets. No contacting Konoha by mail, summoning jutsus, nothing. We need our location to stay hidden at least for now. You will be expected to wear the formal Akatsuki wear when we travel now- as you technically are a temporary member. We need you to act accordingly. Pein will be doing what he can to help out Konoha- we ask the same in return."

"What?!" I shrieked, stopping in the hallway with my hands on my hips in defiance

Itachi stopped, turning around with an all but snarl, "Do you have a problem with this kounichi?"

"Yes!" I forced out my tightened lips, his level of anger now matching my own, "For one- those people are the reason I am doing all of this. No communication? How fair is that when Pein is communicating with you?! AND for that matter- I am not wearing that nasty cloak. I am NO member to you and I won't associate myself with it- No!" I finalized with a 'hmph'

Itachi suppressed a sigh, and the look on his face made me certain he was cursing at me in his head, though instead carefully stated, "You. Will. Sakura. Are we clear?" I didn't miss the threat in his voice- or perhaps it was more of a promise that had yet to be fulfilled- either way, I knew that further defiance would end in a broken bone or two. I had to wonder if it was worth it or not...and it was so tempting to drop the F bomb and just see what would happen.

...I am quite certain I didn't truly want to find out..considering the one who stood before me looked like the personification of death.

I sighed, feeling as if that much more of my free will had been beaten down "I understand.." It was hard to tell if the event made me upset or sad

Itachi nodded, still tense though at least his stance wasn't one that appeared ready to decimate me "I do believe that Kisame had your stuff delivered to your room." he stated suavely, changing the subject as if he hadn't just threatened me for the nth time sense my time of being with them for almost three full days now.

"Yeah it's already there.." I stated, not quite sure what Itachi was expecting me to say in response.

"Alright then. Welcome to the next few months of your life Sakura. Try not to have too much fun." he smirked, and I truly fought the urge to flip him off as he walked away.

I wandered back to my room, surprsied that I took a few wrong turns even though the layout had just been explained to me. This place truly was confusing.

I stormed into my bedroom, or whatever the hell it was, and slammed the door shut as hard as I could without breaking it. It closed with a sickeningly loud snap. A small part of me enjoyed the noise, and I found myself opening it again, only to slam it shut even harder, the reverberating noise so loud I could feel the vibrations on my eardrums.

With a sigh, knowing how childish I was being, I left the door alone and sat down on the carpet, taking the clear tape off the boxes. I couldn't help the small feeling of curiosity I felt about the ordeal. Seeming as Kisame was the one who packed them and not myself, the thought of what would, or wouldn't be inside scared me slightly. What would a strange fish man consider to be important and what would he have forgotten, or decided it unimportant to bring?

Opening the first of three boxes, I began to grab out clothes. All familiar to me, though each piece I grabbed made me laugh slightly. He had grabbed plenty of my ninja clothes, though only one or two outfits of regular jeans and t-shirts, 3 cami's. As I continued unpacking the first box, having to fold it all properly as it was all shoved into the box without any organization whatsoever, I promptly wanted to die. Though I suppose it was a good thing, I was still embarrassed none the less. He packed my underwear, socks, bras, whole nine yards.

I could not stop the blood rising to my face as inner Sakura immagined the scene, grabbing each pair with dread, shoving it into the box as promptly as he could, knowing that this world of lace and frills was far from man's territory.

I wouldn't be able to make eye contact with him for a week.

I grabbed out each pair with a new wave of horror, yet gratitude at the same time strangely. I would need my clothes, socks, and bras, though the thought of a man doing the packing...ugh. My stomach continued churning. I had about 10 different pair of under ware, each a different style as if he didn't know what kind a girl would prefer to wear. I suppose that would be a legit fear. Guys have two styles: Boxers or briefs. It's even become the ultimate question to know about a guys personality- boxers or briefs?

Ever wonder why that question isn't asked for girls? Well- here's why.

Hightop, low cut, boxer style, bikinicut, thong, lace back, crew cut, g-string, full coverage? And of those- frills no frills? Lingerae or simply day to day use?

I sighed, folding up the first pair and grabbing the next. Well...he had good taste...if that didn't scare me at all. He managed to grab most of my favorite ones- the green ones with tiny pink bows at the side like boy cut gone girl, the y- cut blue hipsters made out of a silky satin material, both pretty and comfortable, a few lingerie ones including the simple and seductive black one (why he thought I would need those slightly alarmed me so I tried not to think about it all that much) and as if that wasn't bad enough, I literally started coughing in disbelief when I grabbed out a pair of seperate thongs.

I couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking as he was packing my stuff. It must have been awkward and agonizing- venturing through a strangers belongings having to pack the most intimate of things.

I groaned and started going to the next most awkard thing on the list- bras.

With a sigh, I continued unpacking, not quite sure what to expect next, but overall just trying to get through each moment.

Thirty minutes down-

another 3 million to go.

A/n: Hey guys! Decided I would release this chapter a day earlier for you guys because I updated at like midnight last week. I am hoping that I won't have to go bi-weekly updates with this story, and it all swings on how this next week goes. If I can go into hard drive and write 2-3 chapters, then I should be able to keep updating each week...problem is, this is finals this year. My senior year finals. I have to do well on them or I will be out of thousands of dollars in scholarships. I should manage though, I always have before. Thanks for your support guys, lets hope to see you all next week if it all works out!


	8. House rules? What?

Itachi: She is already typing up chapter 8

Sakura: *leers over watching Midnight type furiously* Yeah- she's getting really into it huh? Wow. Talk about devoted...

Itachi: You think she even knows we are talking about her?

Sakura: *shrugs* I doubt it. She hasn't even looked up yet...

*awkward pause filled with sound of typing, Itachi and Sakura stare around room boredly*

Sakura: ...Uh..hey Midnight? ... (no response) Midnight!

Midnight: Mm- wha? *finally notices stares of Itachi and Sakura) ...What?

Itachi: I think you need a break.

Sakura: Yeah...your eyes look like they are sun crisped raisins...it's kind of gross. Staring at a screen for so long can't be healthy.

Midnight: ...It _is_ rather uncomfortable. But I have to keep working for my fans and followers!

Itachi: Oh no- the whole two of them. How will they survive?

Sakura: Thanks for that Itachi..well Mid- great. She's already back to typing. *Sigh*

i i i i i i i i i i i i i

I closed the wooden drawer, stuffing in the last of my clothes and letting out a sigh. Over all Kisame did a good job, though I would still need a few odds and ends. I couldn't quite yet bring myself to open up the next of the three boxes, even though I was quite certain there could be nothing worse than having a man pack my lacy thongs and such for me.

Regardless, I sat up off from the floor and came to sit up on my bed, staring up at the ceiling.

This all felt like a crazy dream. Who would have ever thought that I, Sakura Haruno, would be caught in such a predicament? Taking apart all the intricacies of war and the Konoha/Akatsuki alliance, this was perhaps the oddest thing I had ever heard of. A nineteen year old girl, living in a place with people that she hated, and these people didn't even want to live with each other either.

Sad really.

I was here against my will, yet it wasn't like I was chained to the wall either. That was the funny thing about being a ninja. One of the things you learned was that you had no free will, not a real one anyways. You did what was required of you without complaint or hassle. Don't like it?

Tough.

Suck it up or someone will make you. (Being forced to do something via chakra strings or genjutsu was both humiliating and embarrassing.) Personally, I was not wanting to be controlled by any of the Akatsuki, and considering one of the members was a puppet master, I knew such a feat was both highly possible and not terribly difficult a task. I would much rather comply slightly and have to bite my tongue, rather than some other guy forcing me to live my life in whatever manner they chose for me.

"Sakura- get out here please." A gruff voice spoke through the door as they knocked at the same time. I jumped slightly at the random disturbance, slightly on edge about being here, and with a sigh, I stood up.

So the commandments began. At least he said please.

I opened the door to greet a red haired Sasori (speak of the devil), apparently deeming this place low key enough to take off his army suit and be a human being again. ..Well, you get it I mean.

"What?" I answered shortly, glaring at the guy. Not quite sure where the spite was coming from, but I couldn't deny the small sting of anger I felt towards the man.

"We need to talk." he stated shortly, eyes not even meeting my own as if he were bored out of his mind. I felt my stomach do a small flip at his words. What? What was there to talk about? Even Itachi had left me alone- I've said like two words to this guy, what could he possibly have to say to me?

"Sure, what?" I stated suavely, trying to match his persona so I didn't appear to be a frightened sissy. (Reality check? I was totally freaked)

"We are all out in the main lobby waiting." And he began to walk off.

...Waiting? We? ...ALL? I wanted to groan. I couldn't help but wonder what the damage would be. Had I done something wrong? I couldn't have. I've been here for like an hour and the only thing I've messed with was my own stuff. Unpacking my belongings can't be a crime, can it? I let out an inaudible sigh as if breathing out some pent up stress, and forced myself to follow the man in front of me.

The main lobby, as Sasori had referred to it as, was buzzing with commotion only not as much anger as my first venture into the room. This time all the men were in there, some sitting, standing, all talking to..well everyone I suppose. The room didn't really carry acoustics well and almost turned it into an echo chamber slightly. It made it difficult to pick out individual voices and hear what was being said by who.

I walked into the madness feeling entirely out of place in the sea of tall strangers/enemies, taking my seat on one of the unoccupied couches. After a moment of two, Itachi walked in and the group quieted down. It amazed me how willing they were to listen to the young Uchiha, I could only imagine how it must have irked their pride to have a fellow member be temporarily in charge of them, though they treated it as if it were entirely normal.

"Well, here we are..." he sighed, unposiedly plopping down onto a sofa chair. The motion was both intriguing and humorous to me- seeing Itachi wind down and relax. In fact, now that I think about it...the atmosphere in general was relaxed. It didn't feel at all that I was surrounded by a murderous group of men in their early 20's- simply just in a room with normal guys. Looking around, I realized the oddest thing ever. I was the only one wearing my shuriken holster. They had all stripped themselves of their weapons. Kisame was walking around as a sole individual- no bulk heavy sword strapped to his back, Sasori was obviously had come out of his shell (no pun intended by that) Itachi was slouching in his chair- and no one had any weapons on them whatsoever. It was as if they were...well..

In a word- this was _home_ to them. A place where they could, for a moment in time, not be a ninja and not live the life dolled out to them by a society that flagged them as bad.

Granted it was quite evident they all hated this place- and not that this place in and of itself was their home- but they trusted each other. They were once again normal guys that were living with other crazy young guys- not a band of outlaw ninja that were a threat to the world and Konoh'a current target.

Itachi smirked, staring down at the ugly maroon carpet that looked like it had been bought on sale

...At a _thrift_ store

"Let's just get this out of the way.." he mumbled, the same expression on his face. "I truly hate this place..."

The room was momentarily filled with light laughter, and I felt as if I had suddenly invaded a moment of happiness I didn't belong in. This wasn't my place, or my experience to laugh with. I was just a little girl listening in on a conversation from the outer edges.

"Sakura welcome" he stated to me with a nod, and I had to remind myself to nod back. "I'd like to tell you about our system and how things work...however, being as this place is one we rarely rely on, plus the fact that we hardly spend any time living in a group like this, I am not sure what to tell you. In fact, that's why we are all together."

Kisame looked up, crossing his arms, "Seriously- how is this all going to work out? Aside from the fact you assholes all drive me nuts- how are we going to live here and all? Living here means day to day use- water, electricity, food, whole nine yards. Going from place to place with just Itachi and I has been fairly easy...but all of us living together- staying in the same spot? I've never stayed at one place for more than 2 months sense I've moved out of my parents house. I have no clue how to do it really. I'll go crazy."

A couple of the guys grave agreeing nods, and I couldn't help but feel like I knew exactly where he was coming from, even though that was far from the truth. I had lived on my own for almost a full two years now- I knew very well how the system worked.

It was all about routine. The first of every month pay all the bills to make sure none of them went late. Late fees were such an annoying hassle. Water, gas, electric, rent, the basics. Every other Tuesday- go grocery shopping. The thirteenth? Run to the store and buy tampons and triple fudge brownies. I always started my period on the 14th like clockwork. Every Thursday was laundry day.

Complicated to come up with, but once you find your own rhythm it becomes fairly simple and highly mundane.

Sasori nodded, "That is a good point there. Not to be the fatass of the group, but food is going to be quite the hassle. We can't exactly survive on soilder pills, as tempting is that is."

"Then there is the whole water, electricity, gas buisness. Keeping that stuff up costs money." Kakuzu mumbled, shifting in his seat as he picked at the ugly feltish chair that appeared to be a matching set with the carpet.

Itachi nodded, "We have plenty of funds for that, the problem is mail. We can't exactly tell the companies to send the bills to the cave in the middle of earth country. Plus we need a name."

I shrugged, "That's simple- use mine."

I was alarmed as to why I had spoke up, and the attention was once again turned to me. Dammit, they were so casual right now it was hard to remember who it was I was dealing with exactly. Just the idea of the Akatsuki paying bills, it was so funny. I suppose that even the Akatsuki couldn't generate their own electricity, but still...

"And the mail?" Itachi asked, seeming to accept my proposal. My name would be good to use. I was unknown to the earth country, and being a young female I was rather unsuspicious.

Knowing that I couldn't back down now, I nodded again, "Easy- P.O box. Not that it would be fun, but I could travel up to the closest mail center and keep up with bills in that manner, or at least bring them here. Being as I don't have a face wanted by all nationalities across the globe, the trip would be fairly uneventful most likely."

It would be fairly simple. I was used to all these tasks with bills and all, and though I didn't really like the idea of jumping in and helping them (like I had been doing the whole time- bad habbit really) it wasn't all that big of a deal. Just paying bills and running to the post office. That would give me my own sense of freedom anyhow- which would be benefiting me.

Deidara shifted in agitation, "I just don't get why Pein is making us do all of this, I'm in with Kisame, you asses make me want to kill something. The only reason Pein ordered us here is cause he knows that we will be so pent up and crazy that we will destroy Orochimaru out of blind rage alone. Bastard's out of his mind."

It was incredible to hear how vulgar they had suddenly become, but I couldn't help but...smile at it almost. It was like I was able to see these people for who they really were. I had just assumed that all these guys did all day was sit in dark rooms sharpening their weapons and imagining the next victim they would take down. I suppose looking back that that was highly unlikely, however this was far from expected. I would have never imagined that they could sit down and just...chat. And get along too. Not like girls do of course, but for guys standards, they were pretty bonded and close knit. I suppose that only having about 5 or 6 guys that weren't out to kill you would make your choice of friends become a whole lot less picky..

Dare I say it but they were pretty...normal..

I instantly mentally slapped myself.

I must be going crazy! These men were the farthest thing from normal the world had ever seen. I had known them my whole life as a ninja, as those murderers that were heartless and pure evil. They each committed unspeakable crimes against their homelands, then left them and went a step lower by becoming an Akatsuki member. Their goals couldn't be anything good at all and though they may look all normal and such right now- I knew better.

They were all freakin psycho's.

As if to back up my mental point, Hidan spoke up, still a bloody mess, "So when do we get the ball rolling then? And besides that, paying bills isn't our biggest concern. What about Orochimaru? Can't we start on the process of taking him out, at least tracking him down or something?"

Itachi sighed, shaking his head allotting a few pieces of dark raven hair to fall over his shoulders, "Tomorrow we will start getting the accounts and such started. As for Orochimaru, the leader and fifth will be working together to choreograph our movements. We have to wait for his communication, so until then we have to wait it out."

"How long will that take?" Sasori added in with a perturbed questioning look over his face. It ceased to amaze me how much no one actually wanted to be here. At least I wasn't the only one.

"Honestly I don't have the slightest clue. However with the information Sakura found out at the club, sending that to Konoha should greatly reduce our waiting time. As for how long we can expect to have to stay here, I can't even begin to imagine. First glance though? I'd say anywhere from four to seven months is highly possible, assuming Orochimaru acts accordingly, though for all I know, it might take a year."

A year? I wanted to smash my head onto the glass table just out of sheer dread. A year! A whole freakin year with these guys?. Purgatory for the living. Hell on earth. They may act more human than I expected, but still- a year living with ANY strangers (especially strangers you particularly hate) would be hard.

Kisame leaned back into the couch, looking of me, "But now for the real question. What of her? What's her role here- I mean, the leader was fairly vague about it all. Is she a member, prisoner, just person tagging along for the ride- what? Not that I care, but just out of need to know protocol."

Itachi and the rest of the men looked at me, studying as if none of them knew that answer. I have to admit even I was curious about what my role would be. I wasn't told either. All I knew was that I would be here with them. As to what I would be doing, that was never clarified by either party, leaving me to be one incredibly huge grey area. I was hoping that I wouldn't be a prisoner to them, but seems as I had my own actual bedroom and that Itachi had already assigned me a small trinket of responsibility, I doubted this would be the case.

Itachi stared at me, "Sakura will act as our....assistant." he added in, seeming to play around with the word before actually saying it, "She has already proved to be highly useful for our purposes since her arrival, so there is no need to chain her away in the dark. Though seems as she 'wants us all to burn in hell' " he smirked at quoting my words from when we were back in Konoha, "I doubt she wants the title of a member. I intend to use her abilities to aid us, medical, chakra expertise and general strategizing methods- as I know the leader will be doing the same for Konoha. In short, Sakura will do as we tell her, and assist us when she can. Is that clear Sakura?"

"Peachy." I stated in a flat lined glare.

I wasn't some dog for them. And assistant? What the hell was that supposed to mean? ...But then again, I was the hokage's assistant, and did whatever she told me to. So I guess it wasn't truly awful, however a small part of me didn't like the correlation to them regardless Itachi's attempts to make it feel as though I wasn't.

"What about the rest of day to day life? I mean, it sounds as if we will be doing about a months worth of work while the rest will be here." Deidara mumbled, still perturbed about the fact that we would be spending so much time here. I couldn't say I blamed him- at least I could agree and relate to the fact that we did not want to be here at all.

"That is what it's looking like sadly. While Sakura has more experience in this area than we do, I imagine it will be difficult to adjust to living with so many people- and all male none the less. Have you ever had a brother Sakura?"

"Nope, I'm an only child." I responded, trying to act cool about it, though I doubt any of them were fooled by my bluff. I was scared out of my mind. I heard living with a guy was awful- they were messy and unsanitary...I could only imagine how awful it would be in large groups. The damage must be amplified by the power of ten.

The room after that stilled to a general quiet, everyone seeming to respect and accept the fact that life generally sucked. For a long moment, we all just sat there in silence. There wasn't anything left to be said- complaining further would just be annoying and for that matter, nothing would change. All we- all I- could do now, was let time pass and live it out day by day.

Itachi soon released the group- though that makes it sound a bit too formal. Generally, everyone could just sense that the meeting was over, and began to walk off one by one. After a moment of sitting there idly, not exactly having any friends in this room to converse with, I walked off towards my bedroom finally getting there without taking an incorrect turn or getting lost for the first time. ...Sometimes I wondered how I passed the academy- such simple things mess me up even to this day. Hardly a characteristic of a ninja.

I sat back down in the room, reverting my attention back to the boxes on the floor. I would have to finish unpacking my things sooner or later..

I opened the second box, revealing a mad grab of random items that hardly correlated. Deciding just to grab things out in no particular order, seeming as they weren't placed in with any order, each new item was a pleasant surprise, and finding a place for each of the trinkets was a small joy. I had my own shampoo and conditioner, various other hair products like my hairbrush, ponytails, bobby pins and such, he had packed my toothbrush- all things making it seem as if this was the box that he ransacked my bathroom with.

That idea was quickly dispelled as I grabbed out even more- he had packed 3 pairs of shoes- and that was hard not to frown at. Being a girl- I had a much, MUCH larger selection of shoes at home, and he had only grabbed the basics. I was wearing my normal ninja shoes, and he had packed a pair of high heels, flip flops, and then my snow boots, for a grand total of five pairs of shoes. I wanted to groan. We were in the middle of earth country- not the mountains. He could have grabbed my red pumps or anything- not my snow boots.

Men.

Next I was grabbing out books, which intrigued me greatly. Not the books per say- they were mine so not much shock in that- but the fact he had packed them. I couldn't imagine a stranger knowing how adament I was about studying my medical text books- most kids didn't even read them let alone study them- so it shocked me that he had considered them to be something of great importance so much that I couldn't live without them. Placing the books carefully on top of the dresser in alphabetical order- spine facing out- I continued unpacking.

The last box. The feelings of uneasiness returned as I peeled the tape off- anything not in this box means that I would somehow have to find it or find a way to live without it. Overall he had done a fair job (except for my shoes) but that didn't mean this last box held everything I would have wanted. The first thing I grabbed out made me want to burn the box. It was an Akatsuki robe- my very own. They just assumed I would be too selfless and say yes- they packed my stuff before I even knew I would have a decision to make! Damned bastards- screw the box- I wanted to set _them_ on fire.

I decided that though I hated it, I needed to remain a professional, thus leading me to put the awful black and red tapestry in the closet with some of my other hang up clothes. I stared at the thing with hatred- I couldn't help it. This was the symbol of the worlds chaos and the fears of Konoha. This represented the countless wrong doings the organization had done to all the innocents across the nations. It stood for evil. A moral-less group of social outcasts that are too powerful for their own good.

And here I was living among them.

Finally unpacking the last of the boxes- including a few personal touches- a photo album and stuff like that, I collapsed onto the bed staring up into the ceiling. Living among the Akatsuki...I was already torn within the four days I had been with them now. A part of me wanted to let my grudge against them go and make it that much easier on myself- and them- but that was like letting go apart of me.

And I couldn't ever just forget all the harm they had done to my village- my friends. All the sleepless night Tsunade and I had trying to track their movements and come up with a new scheme to destroy them- the many threats and troubles Naruto had- wondering how many days he would have in peace before being hunted like an animal. What Itachi did to Sasuke- then how Sasuke responded to that- ultimately leading to his very own destruction.

The many nations we have had to protect from their horrific child's play

So many innocents..

How could I just let that go...?

Though at the same time...living in bitterness wouldn't help anyone at all

Literally tossing and turning from indecision, I forcefully cleared my mind void of any thoughts at all- knowing that even the slightest stirrings from inner Sakura would keep me awake at night. I wanted to be alert for anything and everything that would come tomorrow. Just because we were on a peace treaty didn't mean I wasn't going to watch my back.

Flipping off the lights and settling back into bed, I stared into the walls for a long period even still. Even though I wished I could vacate my thoughts, I was plagued with worry. It was impossible for my mind to not try to work out every detail and every unknown variable- and I couldn't help but wonder what these next few months or whatnot would happen.

...This was truly going to be my life.

There was no escape

No outlet for me to turn to if something went wrong

I was at the mercy of seven heartless killers

It was a miracle I was able to fall asleep that night.

iiiiiiii

_I jumped onto the next tree blindly into the darkness, looking behind me wide eyed in fear. My breathing was harsh and spiked irregularly as I panted from the adrenaline rush and complete fear of the moment._

_I was truly going to die._

_I could see the black cloaked individuals- deadly leaping shadows of the night trail behind me- weapons skillfully tossed as proof they were going to find me. Though I tried to doge, my sluggish feet were growing weary and my movements slowed as if time itself were locking me in place. I found that I was stuck in place suddenly. _

_I couldn't move. _

_I looked behind me, the trailing shadows seeming to dance around me as my eyes scanned like a terrified animal in its last moments. Perhaps that's all it really was anyhow. _

_At the exact same moments, they each pulled out a kunai, pulling their arms back dangerously. I recognized each pair of eyes in a fearful frenzy, a painful sting of worry swirling in my stomach like a torrent of acid. _

_I was going to die._

_That was the one thought that kept reverberating in my head- even inner Sakura was silent in the moment. No longer even trying to run away in the forest of black, I once again looked around me._

_At the same moment, each weapon was flung at me with equal speed- each targeted for a separate vital point on my body. I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe._

_I was going to die._

I jolted awake- my breathing irregular and panicked. I shot up quickly, looking around as my ninja senses were more in control than my physical mind was at the moment.

Bland walls, stale air, photo of Tsunade and I stuck in the mirror frame... I was still in the Akatsuki hideout.

I was still alive.

Trying to force myself to calm down slightly, I took a deep inhale and exhale, surprised to feel that my limbs were slightly shaking. It was all just a dream. Just a dream.

They seriously wouldn't kill me, would they? I mean...if they wanted to...who could stop them? It had taken me, Naruto, and Kakashi to take down just a clone of Itachi- all of them ganging up on me? I would be doomed.

I brought a pillow to my face and sucked in the coolness of the fabric feeling as if I might throw up. It reminded me of the forest of death when Orochimaru was fighting with Sasuke- I was so afraid..I couldn't move, I couldn't speak, all I could do was sit there shaking until I actually threw up from the anxiety.

And even after that I was terrified into stillness.

Taking another inhale and exhale, I swung my legs onto the floor slowly, still feeling sick from the dark dream. I didn't know what time it was, but I didn't think it was too ridiculous of a time. Perhaps 4-5 AM?

I found myself standing up, slightly shaken still, but overall returned to my normal self. Carefully opening the door of my bedroom, I realized with disgust I had fallen asleep in my normal clothes. Not horribly unsanitary, however the idea did seem far from optimal to me.

I walked into the kitchen, the air of the place dense and thick with the still and calm of the morning. Glancing up at the clock against one of the walls, I sighed. It was 4:45ish- give or take a few minutes. I wasn't sure what time most of the guys woke up, but that didn't change the fact that I was awake now. Deciding to take the time to get to know my way around the kitchen, I began walking around and opening up the cupboards.

Not exactly state of the art by any means, but it looked as if they had all the general basic pots and pans and such. However one thing that took me by surprise- but not all that much considering no one was ever here- there was no food at all. There was couple odds and ends like coffee, tea, that sort of thing, but generally no food whatsoever.

Oh well- I liked coffee anyhow.

I plugged in the coffee pot and allowed the sound of the brewing pot mix with the aroma of the coffee take my mind to some place far away from the hideout. Back to Konoha. Back to summer days, warm nights, coffee each morning on my way to work at either the hospital or the CO. I missed it all so much already.

On a normal mission, four days weren't all that much. However, knowing I wouldn't be back for such a long period of time made me homesick at just the thought alone. After a moment of just staring at the dark liquid dripping into the coffee chamber, I grabbed out a coffee mug and poured some of it into the cup.

At least coffee was still good here.

Not much than an hour later, Itachi came in the room, looking rather surprised to see me, though being a Uchiha, said nothing at all as if I hardly existed. Can't say it offended me all that much, the dream I had still lingered heavily in my mind, and I wasn't quite sure what I could say. Granted it was just a dream, but it had terrified me.

Itachi took a seat across the table (I was sitting down by the coffee pot/counter) and stared at me unwaveringly. There wasn't an expression on his face- perhaps making the situation even worse. At least if he looked annoyed, or confused, or anything, I could respond off that and offset it with some sarcastic remark or something...but this made it all but impossible to respond to.

"Uh...coffee...?" I asked, hoping to use that and break off his analyzing me.

"I don't drink coffee." he stated, and just as quickly as the conversation had been started, it was stopped.

"Oh..." I mumbled quietly, bringing the cup to my face and taking a large swallow of it.

"What are you lacking?" Itachi asked after a while longer, just when I thought the nervousness of it all would give me an ulcer.

"Uh...what?" I asked dumbly, not sure what he was talking about. Actually, just the fact he was talking at all took me off guard in and of itself. It wasn't like Itachi never spoke, but it was rarely in conversation- or just directed to one person. It was always in a group, or some form of announcement or decision he had made. Generally, the Uchiha boys seemed to both have a wall of silence about them.

"What are you lacking? I doubt Kisame managed to grab everything you require." he repeated, giving me hard direct eye contact with his emotionless face.

"Just a few odds and ends- nothing that would be too hard to get." I admitted, knowing that it would be pointless to beat around the bush.

Itachi nodded, turning his face onto the table in a focused concentration, and I couldn't help but let out a small sigh of relief as the pressure was finally taken off from me.

"There is a village about ten miles from here. Not only should you be able to talk to electric and gas- but you should be able to pick up the last of your necessities there."

"Wait-" I interjected, "Does this mean I am going alone?" I couldn't help but feel a twinge of hope lodge in my stomach.

Itachi looked up at me, hearing the small joy perk in my voice. "Can we trust you Sakura? I intend on monitoring your chakra so I wouldn't do anything your bones will regret." he added in, seeming to enjoy his threat to me.

"No no- I mean, this is great. Yeah- I'll go..." I mumbled, lost in wonder at this small peak of freedom. Granted it wasn't true freedom- but I had been under strict scrutiny sense my arrival and this small opportunity was enough to make it feel as if I was getting an all paid vacation to the Bahamas.

Itachi stood up, "I figured you would. I have the paperwork you will need out in the lodge, there is money in the envelope for the down payment, and should be plenty left over for yourself, and much left over after that even."

Good Lord- why did it feel like I was talking to my husband (pretending for a moment that I had a life, family, etc.)

I nodded, finding it difficult to keep the grin off my face. It was so sad that such a small event was making me so excited, but I couldn't help it.

Freedom. Honest to goodness freedom.

No Akatsuki guys trailing behind me, making sarcastic snaps to each other or what not. No commands, no unpacking, no dark rooms filled with strangers I didn't know and didn't like.

For this next small portion of the day- I was free.

After giving me strict rules, I found myself outside of the large area- turning out to be a tavern dug out of a canyon in the middle of no where. No wonder we had never found this place- it was both in a cave, in a canyon. It would be all but impossible to find unless you already knew where it was.

I couldn't help but sigh. This was only my fourth day with them, and it was already clear that they were way out of our league. We would never be able catch them.

iiiiii

"I'd like to open an account ma'am." I smiled, sitting down into the office chair in the company's office.

A bored out of her mind, late forties dropout looked back at me, speaking out of her nasally and crusted voice, filing out paper work while she spoke. Inner Sakura couldn't help but laugh. Someone was obviously employee of the month..

"Malright..now which kind of account were you wanting? Electric right?"

"Uh yes please." I tried to be pleasant. I wasn't sure how she would respond when I told her, 'you know? that one house in the trench?' I couldn't imagine the look I'd receive.

"Alright.." she slurred again, turning her chair behind her desk and moving to a large stack of files, pulling out a manila folder. "Have you had an account with us before Ms?"

"Haruno. Sakura Haruno, and no I haven't. I just moved here actually."

"I see..so then where do you live at? Is the place already built or will you need a crew to install the wiring for you?" She asked, looking up at me for the first time, finally getting to the paperwork questions.

"Oh, no. I've already got a place..." Great..how would I explain this...? "Um...I live...in the canyon house.." I tried to sound confident, but I couldn't give away too much information, or sound too suspicious or Itachi would KILL me. The canyon house though? How would she take it? She would look at me like I was nuts!

She nodded, as if it were the most normal thing in the world, "Ah yes, the canyon suite. Adventurous type? I could never do it, too much trouble. I tell ya hon, my husband would never allow it. I'd tell him- Henry, you need to be more adventurous- but he would just shake his head and be like 'you're adventure enough for me' as if that's some great romantic line right? I mean- what was that supposed to mean anyhow? I tell ya hon, men just aint worth it. One day they sweep you off your feet and the next the only thing sweeping is you. I mean look at me- I'm over 40 years old and what do I have to show for it? A few wrinkles and a dead beat husband. I've got a brat of a daughter too- now she was smart. She slept around and nabbed herself a rich man because of it, and now she's living in some great place with attendants and fountains, lounging around all day in her pool...and here I am in some electric house slaving my life away. Life just ain't what it's cracked up to be hon. Not at all....Now, to talk about your down payments and premiums."

She shook her head, and I tried not to give her a 'are you ok crazy lady' look. Note to self- don't bring up her husband, life...or generally anything at all. And here I thought she was anti social. THAT was a misconception for sure.

"We do have a basic package where all your utilities can be set under one file in lump sum. I assuming you still need water and plumbing and such right?"

"Yes...I do actually. ..You can do that?"

"Sure thing hon. Just sign here and here- and that there will be your down payment, that will be your monthly bill roughly- it may seem a bit high, but that's all your utilities right there. Great new bundle plan- It saves a bunch of time. Now when would you like your bill sent to you? Do you have a mail box?"

"I plan on just using the P.O box actually- lets say the 13th." I stated, instantly planning my life in a practical sense, grabbing the pen and signing it. I started my period on the 14th every month without fail, by having to come to town to pay the bill, I'd be able to grab tampons and such without having raised eyebrows from the Akatsuki. Perhaps it was a good thing that I spoke up at the meeting then- in the end it saved me a whole bunch of embarrassment. I would NEVER be able to go to Itachi and ask him to grab some tampons for me while he was in town.

I would rather die- seriously. Asking a guy was bad enough, like Naruto would be awkward even...but ITACHI or the other Akatsuki guys...I would just die.

The lady turned her chair around, rolling back and placing the file into a bigger stack, "Alright, now for the down payment, cash or credit?"

"Cash," I responded, pulling out the envelope. The down payment to open up the account, which included all my utilities, was about $400. A little high, but she wasn't asking questions and I wanted to keep it that way. I handed her the required amount, almost gaping at how much was left over. (A/N: I know it's cash- but that's what I know, and that's most likely what you know too. I didn't want to research real amounts in their currency, and I don't think you would know off the top of your head. Great if you do, but I sure don't. Dollars it is.)

She smiled, "Alright Ms. Haruno- now I look forward to seeing you the 13th next month. You enjoy your home now!"

I gave a fake grin, grabbing the receipt and heading out.

Home.

That place was NOT my home.

My apartment...was not my home.

Home was where my friends were.

Home was the late nights at Ichiraku ramens, yelling at Naruto to shut up and eat

Home was the rush of the hospital. Over 20 patients and only a few doctors and nurses. Somehow making it through at the end though

Home was sitting beside Tsunade, filling out mission reports and assigning new ones.

Home was the flower shop with Ino, her mother bringing us out hot tea and talking about how much we've grown up together

This.

was.

not.

Home.

I walked out the door of the place, following the street around to the small village. It was hard to not let that small statement frustrate me, but none the less I was frowning. I don't care how normal they seemed, that place would never be home to me. If given the choice, I would gladly run back to Konoha in a heartbeat. I didn't belong in their world. I wasn't a killer...I was a healer. It was natural for me to be compassionate and always put others before myself.

Perhaps that's what got me in this predicament in the first place. If only I were a bit more selfish, I would have said no. Surely they were just bluffing, after all they had came all this way and I doubted they would leave empty handed. Why wasn't I smart enough to just call his bluff? By giving me an ultimatum, the only thing I was using to think was my oversized, gotta save everyone, heart. I was doomed from birth really. Killing just wasn't in my nature all that much.

Hardly traits of a ninja, let alone an S-ranked criminal.

I gave a sigh, walking into the grocery center, heading to the cosmetics area. I needed razors, body wash, a few medicines like Tylenol (I am quite certain I'd need it) and a few other things that Itachi's generosity had given me the freedom to do.

I grabbed each item, reading the labels with only a half interest, my mind far away from my body.

I was in a store.

But my mind..my sould even..was far away from there.

It was back in Konoha...

Acutally, it never left.

I would always belong to Konoha, no matter how far away I was. I could never switch over, no matter what happened out here. Konoha was my life force- and I was merely a prisoner in an invisible cage. The second I was free, I would fly away like the free spirit I was. Then I would attack. I would destroy these evil people and all the horrid things they had done to others.

Until then though, I was here.

I hated the Akatsuki.

iiiiiiii

Hey guys! I know, I ended up needing that extra week, but guess what? I GRADUATED! I am officially a high school graduate, I am already registered for college, and things are looking up! I am out of school now, so there is no longer need to worry about whether I will or won't have time to type up the next chapter for you guys- I'll have PLENTY of time. In fact, in half apology and proof that I will be able to keep my weekly updates at least through the summer, I am posting up this chapter early as well!

By the way, I wanted to talk about this story really quickly- just set a few things up for you guys. I want this story to be realistic. Many of the stories I read, granted they are good, but they don't make all that sense. The main character- let's say Tenten- is paired with Orochimaru. Weird combination right? They'd never hook up in reality right? Well, as an author, you can bend that. Problem is, you have to do it right. In her case, it would take MONTHS of bending, her rock solid will breaking chip by chip...NOT two days and 'Oh my gosh I think I love OROCHIMARU'

Come on people!

Don't believe me? Go look at some of the stories on here- most of them even. They just make no sense at all. Overnight, not just one, but TWO people realize their undying love for each other, and then they live happily ever after, all because they were eating ramen together at midnight. And they just knew, by looking into each others' eyes. They were meant to be. ... ...

0.o;

Not that I am a perfect author, but that's what I am trying to avoid. I mean- put yourself in her shoes. Forget the fact that the guys are visually pleasing- if you were her, you wouldn't care. You would want to kill them, while at the same time, border line depressive. I doubt you would be saying, 'Oh my gosh I think I love you Itachi'

Not just that, but day to day elements. Showering- bills- the fact she has her period- all things that would be a struggle in such a situation. Adding in the fact that they have to eat, and just the day to day grind of living with people that hate living with each other.

I want this story to be as down to earth as possible- and as for the couples- it will be a long, LONG time before that is revealed. For reason I stated above. It takes a lot to go from love to hate- and Sakura isn't one to be plagued by lust. It's Sakura guys.

Any who, I just wanted to say that, because I feel like some of you guys are on the edge to know who she will be paired with. All in due time I promise, but let the plot unfold and be realistic. I promise it will be a more pleasing read that way.

Thank you guys for your support of course, you have been wonderful! See you all next Tuesday!


	9. New Developments

Midnight: Alright, chapter 9- No problem!

Sakura: That's right!

Itachi: You're more determined than usual...

Midnight: Meh- tis the drive and passion of a writer.

Itachi: Or just the fact that you have nothing better to do now that school is out

Sakura: ...That is slightly true Midnight. You haven't done much with your life now that high school is over

Midnight: Susshh! I DO have a life. I have a great life! I have a job and I clean the house and

Itachi: have no friends... What? We were all thinking it..

Sakura: Itachi you are so cruel.

Itachi: Realistic.

Sakura & Midnight: Cruel

Midnight: No matter though- its obvious you are jealous. You are jealous of me and my mad typing skillz! Gangsta ninja in da howse!

Sakura: Here she goes with her dilusions again... Chapter 9 up and readable by some miracle. Enjoy and comment. Maybe Midnight will get some more friends next week. It would be nice to not have to keep her company every waking moment.

iiiiiiiiiiii

I walked back in, feeling slightly odd. I was returning to this demon place...by choice even. Well- at least by choice in some element or another. While I was at the store, I decided to save a trip and grab a crap ton of groceries that would last about a week max with so many different people here at once. I was certain Itachi would make me do most of the errands any how, so the way I saw it, I was merely saving myself a chunk of time in the long run.

Then again...perhaps it wasn't wise. It would be nice to see more than my frenimies every day. The more trips I had to make to town the better off I would be.

A bit late now though I suppose.

I walked towards the kitchen, having to focus to not get lost. Today would be my first full day here among the Akatsuki in this crack house, and it already felt as if I had been there for an eternity against my will. How would I survive this? From the beginning I couldn't help but wonder if it was possible or not, and though today felt fairly normal, I doubted it. I couldn't just force myself to smile and make some bond as if we were all some happy little family. I hated them, they hated eachother, and generally, everyone hated the entire situation.

I piled the many, many bags onto the counter, staring around the room wondering where to put them. In a normal kitchen I would just open up the cupboards and put everything where it belonged, however there was no food at all. How was I to know where to put any of it? With a groan, I began shoving things into the empty spaces, making it resemble the layout of my own kitchen. If anyone had a problem with it, THEY could redo it.

I moved onto the fridge, doing the same thing until finally all the groceries were put away. I had a feeling Itachi would be expecting me to come home with more money than what I had left, but I doubt he had accounted on me buying all this food. I wasn't even sure I was allowed to spend that money, but in theory, it was his fault for trusting me with it. For all he knew, I could have handed the rest away to some children chasing after an ice cream vendor.

Though to prove I had done nothing of the sort, I had placed the reciepts in the money envalope so he could see where each cent was spent at, and that I hadn't in fact wasted any.

I could feel my stomach twist, and I sighed. This place was not very conducive to feeding people. The entire four days I had been with them, we had eaten twice, the rest of the time was filled with popping soilder pills like candy. Something told me this was common for this group, and it sent a chill down my spine. They probobly had very little idea of the damage such behavior did to the human body, and myself being one that did, knew it was worth taking the time to eat normal meals instead of taking the easy way out.

Deciding that it was time I actually got back on a normal eat schedule before I dropped a couple of dress sizes, I grabbed out some noodles and steak sirloin, pulling out a pan from one of the side cupboards. I turned on the heat, moving my attention back to the few ingredients I had pulled out. If I were smarter, I would have grabbed some ginger at the store, sadly, I only had remembered garlic.

Oh well, waste not want not.

I poured in a small dash of sake, feeling slightly guilty about the use of alcohol, even if it was just cooking, and dropped in the noodles, meat and minced garlic. I was surprised that I hadn't yet been attacked by any of the men, especially Itachi, who was certain to track me down sooner or later. They had to at least know that I was back right? I mean, they were so anal about everything they did, I doubted that I would ever be able to get past their guard if I wanted to.

With an internal nod from inner Sakura, I decided I didn't care. I would live out my time quota with these awful people, but nothing more. I would live solo really. I had a bedroom. Unless they needed me for something, that's where I would be. I wouldn't work with them, I wouldn't make friends with them, I wouldn't even talk to them!

"Hey Sakura."

"Oh hey" I stated, turning around to see who had entered the room. Inner Sakura growled at me in defiance. So much for that..

It was Deidara, and he was casually seated at the counter now, picking at the peeling counter top paper. "How long you been back?"

I turned back around, stirring my food mundanely, "Mm I donno, 10 or so minutes. Why do you ask, you my mom?"

"I dono. I don't really care, it just sounded like something polite to ask, though I suppose I should save my manners for someone more important. Like your mom."

I rolled my eyes. They weren't just bad people, they were rude people too- especially Deidara.

"Hey Deidara you might want to take that stick out of your ass, its coming out your mouth." I retorted, moving across the room to grab the plates and taking the time to give him a cold smirk as I passed him.

I also got an eyeful of him flipping me off in the process.

I scoffed, grabbing my plate with a huff and storming back to the stove top.

Men.

God love em, cause I for one couldn't. Too messy, annoying, thick headed, and just plain stupid.

Especially Deidara.

I spooned some of the noodles onto my plate, moving to the counter without another word. Sitting across from him would be bad enough, but at least I would get to glare at him more. As I sat down, Deidara stood up and began shuffling around in the cupboards, leaving me alone. Whatever, good riddance anyhow. Naruto was annoying- but THIS guy- he was annoying on a whole new level.

It wasn't far from the truth to say I loathed him. He litterally just did things to piss me off, as if he had nothing more to do in life than make mine hell. Perhaps he didn't. I wouldn't put it past him. His best friend was a puppet after all.

I mean, if I had to live my life in the company of people I hated, the least one could do is to not rub it in. The only thing he had yet to do was point and laugh. However, that too was something I wouldn't put past him. It was only my 4th day here after all. He would have plenty of time left to make his petty insults and poke fun at me, if only to make me hate life even more.

Deidara sat back down with a bowl of

MY PASTA?

"Wha...no no no no no. You're a jerk. You can't make fun of me and then eat my food- it doesn't work like that!"

He looked down at the bowl, back up at me, bringing the chopsticks up to his mouth and taking a bite. He smirked at my gaping reaction, swallowing before speaking, "Really? And what_ are _you going to do about it? Run to your little hokage, demand fair treatment from this tyranny? At least that sounds like something someone as 'educated' as you would say. Good Lord, what's with you Konoha types anyhow? Too good of a person to let your hair down? Whatever."

I continued to glare, closing my mouth to keep a stream of fowl words from pouring out. What could I possibly explain to such a lowlife anyways? He simply wasn't worth my time.

He looked forward into my bowl and before I could even register what was taking place, he put his chopsticks in my bowl and grabbed out a piece of the steak and ate it.

I shrieked, standing up, "What was that? You stole my noodles, and now you just stole a piece of meat from MY bowl! What gives asshole?"

He all but laughed, standing up too, "You took all the meat in your bowl. That's rude you know. I thought that you Konoha people had better manners than-"

Smack.

Before I could even think about what I was doing, my hand had already slapped him. He gaped at me, face still angled slightly from the impact.

"THAT was for stealing my meat." I growled, staring at him still.

This was so juvenile! Why did I have to deal with this? All I wanted to do was have a nice, peaceful dinner and then HE had to come and ruin it.

Deidara, recovering from my attack, looked at my with a haughty, cocky look,"You hit like a girl."

And that was it. Mental control had taken a back seat and it was all his fault.

I jumped over the counter and leaped him down to the ground, slamming his face to the ground. He laughed, LAUGHED as we both landed, and I swore that I was going to kill him.

I slammed his head into the floor again, knowing that he would have a killer headache at least. He looked surprised at first, then knew that I was ready to demolish him. Suddenly, we were both tumbling across the ground, kicking and punching, one on top of the other for a few moments before being kicked or some other attack, then spun onto the ground.

He had delivered a fairly decent punch into my stomach, but it didn't hurt all that bad really. However I was getting frustrated by my lack of solid hits. I just couldn't seem to connect any of my attacks to his body to cause him damage!

I was on the ground staring up at him with a bitter snarl, inner Sakura amazed at how angry I was about it all. In reality, it was just just one piece of meat, yet some how, all of my anger from the entire situation of having to move and live with them and leave my friends, had flood gated out and was all directed to him. All I wanted to do was just land one good hit and break his bones. I would heal them so it wasn't that huge of a deal- but it would be enough to make me feel better.

I punched forward, my fist caught in his as he hovered above my abdomen. Trying to shift over so he would slam against the counter edge or fridge even, I moved my left hand out to off balance the weight distribution, however he caught my other arm as well. Now I was on the ground, he was positioned above me, and he had both of my arms mid attack. If I could just out power him, he wouldn't have anything to protect himself with- so the two of us struggled against each other, though he seemed to be entertained by the entire ordeal.

He sighed, smiling slightly after a moment or two of my arms shaking against his strength. I couldn't just randomly use my super human strength, I had to use force to punch or something...and he had my arms caught. At this moment, it was just raw physical power alone and I was a girl, laws of nature were clearly against me on this one.

A disadvantage if I ever heard of one, that's for sure.

For a moment, my concentration was broken as a new sound caught my attention. The shuffling of various feet. With Deidara all but sitting on me, I couldn't see anything, though I knew very well what the noise was. Some of the members, I'd say about four of them roughly (so most of them) had heard the fight and came running. The footsteps approached closer, most likely to pull us apart, though Deidara spoke up

"Wait man, I got this." he turned his attention back to me, "She's nothing but a weak little office girl."

I wanted to feel a surge of fire through my veins...feel my chakra explode in my skin...but all I felt was sadness.

Deidara grinned down at me, my arms shaking still as I exerted very bit of my feminine strength against him. "Not so tough now are you?"

I relaxed the tension in my arms, giving up. Not like I could have won any ways. Laws of physics and sex were against me. But still...

Deidara leaned down, droping my limp arms from his control, "Don't forget Sakura, You may be here living with us, but you know nothing about us. Our skill and your skill are on two different playing fields. In this realm, you are weak. Pathetic."

He stood up, revealing the group of men that had just witnessed my defeat. Itachi, Kisame, Sasori and Hidan.

After he walked away a few feet, I stood up after him, rubbing my throbbing wrists while his words buzzed in my head like a hive of angry hornets.

Weak?

Had I really just been insulted like that? Sasuke never could take me seriously because I was weak. He practically made fun of me for it. I hated being called weak. I had trained under the sanin and become more advanced than Tsunade herself. I wasn't weak...

Yet in retrospect to these men that just witnessed my utter failure..I was the same whimpy little child playing ninja with Sasuke and Naruto. After all this time, nothing had changed. No matter what I did, I was never good enough to prove myself to anyone when I needed to.

Not that I wanted to impress them...but I was representing Konoha! I had to look strong- never back down to an enemy. Always be tough and never let my guard down.

And me being the girl I was, started crying.

iiiiiiiiiii

I sat up from my pillow, bitter tears falling down my face. Not wanting to be further embarrassed by my crying, I ran out of the room and barricaded myself into my bedroom, using chakra to seal the door shut. Quite the skill really. Someone had tried to break in, I assume Itachi or Sasori, but were unable to. The door might as well have been a wall at this point in time.

I didn't want them to get in. In fact, I didn't ever want to come out of my room again.

I hated them.

I hated them so much, and I hated the fact that I had to live this life. Why didn't I just say no? All I ever did was work and more work. I never said no to Tsunade, and would always sacrifice myself- jump at the opportunity to do so even.

And look where that got me?

I was shipped off to live with some of the worst human beings in all of history...and I was just expected to do it! Why did I have to be so selfless anyhow? Just a tiny shread more of selfishness and I might not even be in this situation, but no. Here I was, already trampled on by the Akatsuki.

Damn them all to hell.

And for that matter, I was STILL hungry.

I wasn't even smart enough to grab my own food. Knowing Deidara, I would bet that he just sat right back down and finished eating regardless of the fact that he had just done such an awful thing to me. Granted I started the fight, but being realistic, it wasn't even a fair fight.

I couldn't use much of my chakra, and with him being male, he could out power me by pure laws of nature. He humiliated me in front of the other members, all like 'I got this' as if I were some wild mustang that needed to be broken.

Perhaps that's what they saw me as. Some spirited girl that's will was far too strong for their liking. And in the end, I ran away crying.

Peachy.

But at the same moment, I couldn't help it. I WAS a girl, and I had just been removed from all my friends and family, trading that for people that I hated. To be honest, I missed them all so much I couldn't stand it. What were they all doing in Konoha right now? Were they having dinner together? Were they making plans to track down Orochimaru?

I suppose I would never know for a long while.

I rolled over onto my side, finding that my tears had subsided with my thoughts. Crying wouldn't solve anything, and it really didn't even make me feel all that better.

A knock came on my door, and I was half tempted to drop the F bomb and just let that person stand there.

Instead, I sat up, wiping the tears off my face, "Who is it?" I stated weakly, not even caring enough to get up and check.

"Deidara."

Oh no what did he want?

I sighed, not answering for a moment. I didn't even know what to say to him I was so mad.

"Why are you here?" I settled for, crossing my arms across my chest.

"Look can you just-" he jiggled the handle, then hit my chakra wall. I could hear him give an exasperated sigh and I smirked.

"I locked the door so to say" I explained, feeling a slight power rush from the fact that I had managed to lock him out for a few good seconds.

"I noticed. Look, I'm not here to apologize if that's what you are wanting. I wanted to let you know that we all split your food and came to a decision."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, you'll be doing the cooking from here on out."

I shot up off the bed, tearing the door open, "What?" I belowed, glaring at Deidara, who didn't even flinch as the door suddenly flew open.

"You can cook, we can't, and seems how girls are only good for two things in life-"

"You sexist little creep I swear I will-"

"Do all of the cooking. Itachi's orders."

I gaped at him. That Uchiha prick! I'd destroy him...well, unlikely, but at least I would pretend to in my mind. How dare he just declare this and rule my life as if I were some slave to these people! I wasn't! I was a trained, medical shinobi of the leaf dammit- not some nanny for a group of retarded criminals!

Let them feast on their soilder pills for all I cared, I was not doing it! Sure I would run to the store, pay the bills even, but THIS was too much. I wasn't doing it. That was that.

Deidara leaned up against the door frame, "You aren't good at obeying are you?"

"I don't take orders from you, and for that matter, Pein or Itachi either." I retorted coldly.

Deidra nodded with a smile, "Ah right right. You take orders from your little hokage. Such a good little girl. And our last little tissfit- I knew you'd be mad, but I didn't think you'd start crying. Really pathetic you know."

I glared, "I was really frusterated. And for that matter back off, you know nothing about me or my life either so don't get up on my case about not understanding you misfits. I don't go making fun of you, so get over yourself and get a life"

"Wait wait wait," he laughed, waving his hands slightly as if to signify 'stop' "You call us misfitts- then finish to say to don't make fun of us. Hypocritical much?"

I tried to not show him my agitation, but he was on the last straw and past it. "Let's just say that I'm not great at listening to people I don't like. I hate it here, I hate being forced to live in this hell, and most of all I hate you! Do you enjoy making me frustrated so much that I start crying? Is that it Deidara, because that is SO petty and pathetic just as much as crying is!"

"Dude what?" He inturruped me again, giving me a look of interest and taunting all in one, "You were frusterated...somuch that you cried? That's why you were all sobbing like a baby?"

I shrugged, deciding to once again bite my tounge. I had better morals than this, at least that's what I told myself. "Yeah. What's it to you?"

"You girls are just so weird. When I'm angry, I shout or break something. Not cry. Isn't that something you do when you're sad?"

I rolled my eyes, closing the door, though he put his arm out and stopped it from closing. I groaned.

I was beginning to hate him more than Itachi- which was a compliment to him in a weird way.

"Yes, but I WAS sad."

"You said you were mad."

"I was! I was both!"

"Wait, so you were sad..and mad...at the same time.."

"YES!"

He scowled slightly, then looked up at me and laughed again, "How is that even possible? Girls are so strange. You see, I'm not with them that often. Just for a couple hours and then they leave if you catch the drift-"

I glared at him. Disgusting pig. Were all the men here as gross as him?

"-So when it comes to the daily interaction of the female race, well it's new to me. No wonder girls belong in the kitchen and not in society, too many emotions."

"You're a sexist ass Deidara."

He smirked again, standing back up properly though still holding the door, "Don't forget to bring out your little frilly apron now Sakura, off to the kitchen where you belong. There's eight of us including you remember. Any questions?"

I wanted to kill him. That's just all there was to it. He was rude and demeaning- at least the other guys tended to leave me alone! This guy seemed to take time out of his day to annoy me. Dammit I hated him!

"No, in fact I have a message- for both you and Itachi."

"Oh?" he crossed his arms and released the door haughtily.

"Fuck you!" I hissed, slamming the door shut in his face.

And you would not believe how good it felt to do that either.

I sighed, stirring the large pot with my left hand, ignoring the pain shooting from my opposing arm. Slamming the door and shouting profanities at Deidara would have been a good idea- if Itachi hadn't have been around the corner listening. I now stood in the kitchen, making a large batch of miso soup for eight people with a broken arm.

Damn them all.

Especially Deidara and Itachi.

No scratch that. I'd allow Itachi to live if it meant Deidara got a double dose of the damnation.

How did you like that- I'm clearly provoked- the man says things to purposely get me angry- I say one thing back and my bones get snapped like sidewalk chalk on the playground. The pain didn't really even phase me that much- with my chakra circulating through my body to heal it, the crack would be healed in a week or less. Though I would have a nasty bruise and swelling for twice as long most likely. Broken bones were easy to work with, but it took quite the skilled hand. With accelerated healing, it is important to set the bone just perfectly otherwise your bone could be healed and sealed improperly. I would never make that mistake of course, but just thinking of living here seven days with a useless arm was annoying. Much better than the traditional time quota of three or so weeks, but none the less annoying. And all over me and my strong willed rebellion too.

It was so unfair! I was provoked!

I was beginning to loathe my time here suddenly. Not like I was ever enjoying it persay, but this was crazy. They freakin' broke my arm for the heck of it! How was I supposed to respond?

Though at the exact same time at a different matter, I couldn't help but smirk pridefully. They needed me. The big bad Akatsuki boys needed the womans touch because they didn't have the slightest clue over how to keep a house running. Even if they did, they would have to come up with fake ID's and the whole nine yards just to live day to day in the city. They had to act violently when I refuted the command because if they didn't it would mean begging- No able bodied cocky male would EVER beg a girl to do anything for them, but commanding meant they were in control.

Sad really. I'll bet Itachi thought that by doing so in this method, he would avoid me making fun of their obvious short comings.

Yeah- as if.

Fearless S-ranked criminals steal a small girl from Konoha to take care of the bills and do the cooking. I was suspicious now if Pein had selected a female on purpose for that very reason alone. I suppose S-ranked criminals weren't exempt from needing to eat, and the fact that they traveled so much would make it difficult to learn, but this was still rediculous. They didn't even ask me first, it was a freakin' command so I couldn't refute it. God forbid they have to take care of themselves now that they killed thier moms.

They broke my arm so I might as well brake their pride. And in all reality, it wasn't that big of a deal to do the cooking. Perhaps it would be good for me even. I had always beeen so wrapped up in the ninja life style that I never had that much time to slow down and be a girl. I suppose this was the typical life of a girl- they took care of the house, got the bills paid for on time with the money their husband gave them, prepared the meals...and besides..

I loved cooking.

"Enjoying yourself kounichi?" Itachi's voice came from beside me, and I didn't even turn to look at him. Bastard broke my arm. I had a grudge agaginst him before, but it was because of something he had done to Sasuke. This was personal. He just snapped my arm like it was a twig with just one hit. I didn't even see him until BAM and my arm was broken. 'Learn your place Kounichi' was his response and he walked away.

Worse yet- what did Deidara do as I stood there, gaping at my arm in disbelief?

He laughed!

If I wanted to, I could've started crying all over again, but I was done with that. Crying the first time hadn't done much for me, and in the end, Deidara came back for round two as if him pinning me to the ground weren't a big enough victory for him.

But now I had leverage over them- if I didn't cook, who would? I doubted any of them even knew how! Which meant that I could bend some of the rules now that I had this power over them..

"Fuck you." I hissed, smirking.

Itachi glared at me, and I could feel his stare on me, though I didn't meet it, meerly staring into the soup as I stirred it croockedly. Strike one- now to twist and prod at the wound.

"Do you need me to break you other arm so you can learn some manners?"

I turned to him, leaving the spoon in the pan, "Go for it." I held out my good arm, "If you do that then I can't cook for your band of morons, so I'd say you'd be doing me more of a favor than teaching me a lesson."

He pursed his lips in frustration, and at that I knew I had won. It felt so good- that rush of pride from sassing Itachi- it made it less worse to be here. I turned back to the stove, "That's what I thought."

I couldn't believe I had just said that to Itachi Uchiha- ruthless killer of family and friends. I was just rude and awful to him, and he couldn't do a thing about it. I wanted to dwell in the moment forever, and just as the moment was ending, I found myself craving even more.

"Let me just tell you it's pathetic you are making me do this- don't even try to act like it's not. Deep down, you know that you will be so embarrassed when I tell all my friends you COMMANDED me to cook for you all."

Itachi just stared at me, though I know my words were sinking in past that armored exterior. Guys generally had major pride issues. They would never admit they had lost, or look weak even. I could only imagine how Itachi must be speechless right now- he was ITACHI- man who never had weakness or emotion or anything, blah blah blah. I must have taken them all off guard just by being here. They weren't used to being told no, having someone mouth off at them, or just have the general attitude of a girl. And who knew they would actually have need for me anyhow?

There was no way they were used to a girl. They said I would have to adjust to living with them, but it would be just as much the other way. If there was one thing girls had over guys, it was their stubborness and iorn will. Even when we didn't get our ways, we would whine and be a royal pain in the ass until we got what we wanted. It was just in the female blood. Guys would use violence and threats- girls used annoyance and persuasion.

Tasting a small sample, I added a pinch of salt to season. "I'm done your majesty." I resonded, giving a small bow to Itachi in sarcasm as he began turning to leave.

"Not funny Sakura." he mumbled as he walked out, most likely to gather up the guys. This had to be a joke. The big bad band of criminals needing a homely girl to take care of them. Oh well, I had enough fun out of it. Too much more and I'm sure Itachi would brake and do something drastic.

Not long after, I found myself serving bowls to them like a little slave!

I sat down in the lounge, giving the last bowl to myself, plopping down into the couch with a glare. I watched with narrowed eyes as the 'gentlemen' each sat around, sopping up their meals quietly. I tried to just brush it off, but seriously? I was a NINJA...NINJA! I was not some maid they hired for them, heck I wasn't even here by choice! I think I would rather them lock me up then this! At least if they locked me up it would mean they saw me as some form of threat in some fashion...but I was COOKING for them! What's next? The laundry?

NO!

"Itachi what the hell!" I grabbed all of the rooms attention, some of the members chocking on the liquid as they coughed in surprise at my spunk. The Uchiha slowly looked up (for a Uchiha is never- EVER surprised remember) and gave a small breath, still not making eye contact as if I were too insignificant for his time. Well the hell with him.

"As I recall, the term is 'Your majesty' Sakura, and on that note I believe that with me apparently being royalty, as you claim, then you should be honored to be in your position- don't you agree?"

I knew I shouldn't have said anything, I knew I should have kept my mouth shut. That was his final warning, I knew it, and yet I couldn't stop my sarcastic remarks from pouring out of my mouth without fail.

"Sasuke never acted as bitchy as you. In fact I don't recall him hallucinating himself as some prodigy either. Hm funny huh...'your majesty'?"

I don't know why I said it- even AS I was saying it I knew it was a bad idea. I knew that when his eyes changed from black to red, it was not going to end pretty. I should look away, beg for forgiveness all in a matter of .3 seconds. Sadly, I didn't. I glared at him straight in the eye. If I was going down, I would let him now that my will was not breaking.

Konoha was known for an iorn will and I would not just give in because it would have been easy. Heck I already had a broken arm. How much worse could it get?

"Mangekyo sharingan."

And with those two words, I found out from personal experience, the power of the Uchiha bloodline.

iiii

My senses were pricked and I knew very well that I was in a genjutsu, even as a genin it was almost impossible to fool me. I would end this before it all even began. I slapped my hands together as the colors of what I saw faded into red and black like his eyes

"Kai!" (A/N: Release)

Nothing happened. The faces of the Akatsuki simply faded away into black (Was this a dream or nightmare cause at this point it was seeming alright, you know?) until all that was left was Itachi and myself. Itachi was sitting in the now blood red sofa, and he was still staring at me with a blank, expressionless face.

"I will break your will Sakura. You will respect my leadership and the commands of the Akatsuki." he whispered, standing up. I marveled as the chair simply faded into the void. So he had total control of this..space? That couldn't be good then. I had to get out now.

Why was I such a smartalec? I should have just shut up and smiled like Sai. But if I was already this far into it..

"You'll never break my will." I glared back, deciding that I didn't care what happened. I would listen to them to some extent, but I wasn't some spineless child that they could just jerk around on a chain. I knew they couldn't kill me or Pein would be toast- and even if they did, I held the name of Konoha high in death.

Suddenly, for the first time ever, Itachi gave a small laugh and just...disappeared..sort of. He just dimmed until finally all that was left of him was a dark outline that bursted into 50 black ravens that started swarming around me. In fear, I put up my arms to block from the crazy mixing wind that seemed to funnel the room..or void, or whatever I was in...and watched as each raven flew into a circle, each pausing in the deadly ring and forming into a perfect little Itachi clone.

I turned in a complete circle, seeing how bad the odds were as adhrenaline course through my veins. God this was just like my dream, only it was just solely Itachi. Wait though, this was all a genjutsu right? It would all turn out ok, no matter what.

"Kai!" I repeated, forcing more chakra through what I hoped was my physical body out there in reality. The dark place not changing in the least, I tried again, still searching for my chakra connection to my body while my conscious was locked in my mind.

"Kai!"

"Kai!"

"Kai!"

Once again, Itachi...er, one of them laughed.

I turned frantically to the direction of Itachi, though as I did, all of the clones dissapeared. I was in the void by myself, or better said, I was in the dark. I couldn't see anything at all.

"You can do that all you want kounichi..." Itachi's voice came from beside me and I blindly turned, only to be hit from some direction and fall face first onto the ground. Or perhaps it was the cealing. I wasn't sure what laws still applied in this realm, and adding in the fact that I couldn't see what direction was down or up, I truly had no clue.

I shakily stood back up as quickly as I could, my knees wobbling underneath me unsteadily.

"But you can't stop this genjutsu with your puny little Kai seals." My legs were knocked out from beneath me and I heard the familiar zing of a kunai zipping through the air. Suddenly, a sharp pain from my shoulder jolted through my whole body like electricity. I cried out in pain, unable to survey the damage but knowing very well what had happened. My shoulder was bleeding, there was a kunai stabbed into it.

Trying to hold my cries in, I pulled out the kunai with only a light whimper, throwing it away from me and standing back up again with even less energy than before.

What kind of genjutsu was this anyhow? It all worked with making you see something else...I just got stabbed here!

If it were a genjutsu, why did it feel so real? He had hit me in the abdomen hard, it felt as if my organs had turned to mush from the inside out. My arm, I could feel the blood, smell it, the pain was there like a thousand watts...Was that my mind just making up the pain?

No- calm down. Think here. Freaking out will get you no where, find the solution. How was this a genjutsu? Why was I feeling pain if the pain wasn't real?

No. Pain was pain. After all, genjutsu worked with the brain so he very well could be controlling my pain receptors as well. It would be simple really. When one is hurt, the nerves send a message to the brain, which then gives one the feeling of pain. Almost a self defense mechanism. When one is hurt, one is more gentle with that area, making it so it will get less injury or damage. However, if one just put the message in the brain that one is hurt here and here, it would do the same job. You didn't HAVE to be hurt to experience pain if the brain is still sending out the pain signal.

...Clever.

But how much more could I take before my brain thought my body is dying and shuts itself down into hibernation mode?

At this thought, I couldn't describe it, but there was...an itching...at the back of my mind. My real mind. My real body.

I could feel it. Somehow there was a bridge, back to my real body.

I could feel sudden vibrations through the dark void. I had no clue what was going on, or why it was even- but I knew it wasn't Itachi's doing.

It was mine.

I wasn't in control of this space...but something had changed. Something had shifted.

Suddenly, I saw Itachi before me, he grabbed my neck and lifted me upward until I couldn't breathe at his iorn grip.

"How did you do that?" He growled, and I swore I saw murder in his eyes.

"I...I don't.." I choked out in coughs, wishing that I hadn't done whatever I did. Problem is I didn't know how or why. I just knew something was different and then the place shook like it was going through a 7.0 earthquake.

"Get out of my head! KAAII!"

A voice...MY voice- echoed through the dark place, and suddenly the darkness faded away.

..Inner Sakura...?

Itachi faded into nothingness as the light cascaded in, and I blinked slowly as everything moved in slow motion around it.

iiii

I jolted awake...or whatever...and was staring at the same scene I had left. Almost.

Itachi was standing in front of me, breathing harshly, glaring at me, while the rest of the men were gaping at me as if I were the living dead.

Had I just...beaten the mangekyo sharingan?

And this was all just my first day in the hideout...

PLEASE READ MY AUTHOR'S NOTE IT'S INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT!

iiiii

A/N: Sorry I know it's late at night and all, but where I'm from its still Tuesday :D Anyhow, I just wanted to say I appreciate your guys' strong feedback this last chapter! I love the fact you guys are willing to wait for the story to unfold and not demand crap on a platter.

That's just gross right?

Anyhow, as you can tell the story just got a bit weird so before you say 'You just said you would keep it realistic' let me explain, because I don't know when I'd be able to do it next time. To shorten what just happened, Itachi puts Sakura in the sharingan world, you know, ultimate trump card, can kill you in the blink of an eye literally- yeah you get it, and before things really even get started, it's mysteriously broken and she is back in reality.

What the crap right?

Now you smart cookies out there, you already know why, but you are saying 'She's not that strong there Midnight. Come on now- not even Kakashi could break out of it.'

Now hold your horses, and follow my mental journey *Mysterious traveling music begins*

Sakura has what the English refers to as 'two souls' Now I don't know if this literally means she has 2 or not, or if it's just multiple personailities. The manga is not all that specific, however we do know that this alternate side of Sakura is a bit more expressive and is constantly telling the audiance what she REALLY thinks on this inside. However, as the plot line of Naruto unfolds, we see some facenating things about her that led me on a long after noon of philosophy, back tracking on episodes, watching them in both languages- reading the magna..you get it. My conclusion?

When put among a genjutsu by the mangekyo sharingan- then she very well might be able to break it. Here's why:

Refer back to the very beginning of Naruto. Kakashi puts her in a simple genjutsu that is optical. (Eyes/Visual- you get it) Nothing happens. She falls prey to the genjutsu and falls to the ground like the dramatic sissy she was at the beginning of the series.

The next time we see her in a 'genjutsu battle' shall we say, it is with Ino in the chunin exams. Now this is where something interesting happens, in fact, the scene that gave me this idea in the first place. Ino has a clan based trait where she can get into a person's head- create a genjutsu in their very own mind. She can control their body movements, and everything about that person while she is in their head. What happens to Ino's jutsu when casted on Sakura during battle? Sakura's 2nd soul kicks her out of her head and her efforts were as if nothing had been done at all.

Hm...?

Now as an author, I have to ask myself why. We have 2 genjutus, one works and one doesn't. Why did only one work? They were both a form of genjutsu, so why was just one where the alternate Sakura came out and cleared the genjutsu? Was there a reason why she only came out in the second one? Was it just because she REALLY didn't like Ino? Logically, I don't think that had much to do with it. I looked at more solid reasonings and from there, it's sad but true, I went digging in my TEST BOOKS (I'm dead serious too...don't laugh. I take my writing serious people and I wanted to be positive before I wrote it up)

The difference that made the two outcome different, I think, was location. One was directed towards the optic part of the body, and the other (based off the fact it gave Ino entire control of victim's body) we can assume attacked the Central Nervous system of the brain. That was the difference really right there. So what made it so Inner Sakura was only partial to one of these attacks. Was the orgin of inner Sakura anyhow? It was clearly some form of personality, 2 souls or not, it all was created at the same location of the brain...so it was time to do some studying.

Let's add a little side note here- I know a good detail of the human body, as I have taken A&P and Bio I, II and Advanced. (And even still I had to dig out my books- just to be sure) I personally don't think people that don't know medics very well should be able to write Sakura fanfiction that well, but that's just my opinion. Anyhow though, I reviewed over regions of the brain, trying to find what part of the brain 'created' Inner Sakura, it's relations the the CNS, what controls what, and my findings were astounding! Who knew the answer to my ANIME question, would be in my Anatomy and Physiology text book right? I couldn't believe my eyes, but here's what I discovered:

There is a region around the CNS where there are mental 'problems' shall we say. Personally, I think Sakura's 2nd soul is more of an alternate personality, and if so, is created/resides in the emotional region right by the CNS, explaining why we see the dark inner Sakura appear in the manga as someone in her head. Also, some A&P science stuff here, there is a physical connection between the two sections of the brain! How crazy is that?

It made perfect sense at that moment. Why was Ino kicked out of her head? The CNS and the portion of Sakura's brain where Inner Sakura resides are connected, making it so such a happening would be possible and also explaining why optics aren't effected. The only part of the CNS that is connected to the eye is the small optic nerve, a lengthy nerve that spans all the way over to the CNS, virtually no connection. So in reality, the only genjutsu Inner Sakura CAN defend against, is the type that effects the CNS

And remember this is a mix of my scientific findings, and the few details given to us about Inner Sakura. \ If you don't like it, just trash it... I won't be offended :D Just hand tight for a bit longer, I'm almost done.

So as I was thinking about this and what I believed to be the somewhat solved mystery of Inner Sakura, you know feeling pretty good about myself. "I know why this happened here and why it didn't here" ...and a small thought occured to me. What would happen if she were put under the mangekyo genjutsu? It's an optical LEAD jutsu, but what does it effect? Would Inner Sakura be able to work her magic on this too? Time to study it up!

So I did research in the Itachi/Kakashi battle. That's where I found my answer as to the location of where he attacked. It was in the brain, particularly the CNS (Central Nervous System :D) The give away, which I tried to hint at in the story, was the fact they felt pain. Pain is something delt out by the CNS, meaning the only way for one to feel pain in a genjutsu, was if one's nervous system was being affected.

That put me at a mental stopper. So we know the location right? But Ino's was a bit different. She was trying to shove her soul into Sakura's head. Itachi was just pulling the strings from the sidelines, there's not much to 'kick out' because the only thing in her brain that's foregin is his chakra. So would inner Sakura still be effective in such a setting? I mean there was something to move there, but just chakra? How do we know Inner Sakura can mess with something 'touchable' if that makes sense. Let's go back to the Ino battle then were we did see Inner Sakura's attack.

In battle, Inner Sakura just didn't wish her away, Inner Sakura physically punched her out of her head. This means that Inner Sakura isn't just some empty space, she can move and thing and DO in her head. So this in place, I don't think it's far out of line to say that if she can punch something, then she can release a genjutsu.

Genjutsu's are stopped by halting one's chakra, this is explained by the Sanin later in the original Naruto series (or early shippuden?). Problem is, when your minds in the middle of it, you can't connect to your body and hault the chakra flow. We saw this problem in the manga with Naruto and Itachi.

However, Inner Sakuar, not being apart of the CNS but BESIDE it, would not caught up in the genjutsu, just like she wasn't affected by Ino's invasion. Close enough to the action, and with the CNS going crazy sending out signals that it's just been stabbed, AND considering the fact that inner Sakura and outer have a clear connection to each other, (then you add in the fact that the two brain regions are physically connected, if that's not damning enough evidence) I think that inner Sakura would easily be able to halt the foreign chakra in her CNS- therefore stopping the genjutsu.

THERE! *huffs and puffs* That is the long explanation, but I hope you follow my train of thought. As said you may not agree perfectly, but I just wanted to help you see my train of thought that way it doesn't appear as if I am giving Sakura some super human powers that she doesn't have. I serisously think this is exactly what would happen given the opportunity...what do you guys think?

Agree- disagree? Seriously tell me what you think please. I'd love to hear it :DD


	10. The First Shower

Midnight: *spinning in circles* Hay! Did you know if you spin fast enough you see stars? For real too!

Sakura: (sighs deeply and continues sipping coffee with Itachi) She keeps doing that...

Itachi: Is this the fate of modern day graduates? One second she is showing a glimmer of intelligence, and now she is resembling that of a small child.

Sakura: (nods) If she ever wants to make it into Med School- she is going to HAVE to stop spinning sooner or later... Hear that Midnight? I hope you do! ...Somewhere in that thick skull she has got to be hearing me...

Itachi: I doubt it. Perhaps we should write up this chapter for her..?

Sakura: So you can kill everyone off? Hate to break it to you, but she already killed off Sasuke so I don't see what fun you would have in it.

Itachi: True. ...Well then let's hope she stops spinning.

Midnight: I want waffles! Whooo!

Sakura: ...We are doomed. She's already missed deadline

Itachi: She hasn't posted in a month.

Sakura: Yeah...hn. Poor Midnight..

iiiiiiiii

I stared at the angry Uchiha before me, unsure of what to say or do.

At this point, I had little if no spine left at all. I was scared out of my mind! Sure I had just broken through one of the most powerful genjutsus- if not THE most powerful- but for one- I didn't know how, and two, if I could even replicate it or not. All I knew for certain was that I had just made the last living Uchiha pissed as hell at me.

The room was now a dead silent, everyone focused on Itachi and myself, unsure of what to do or how to respond. This wasn't normal- even Uchiha's themselves could be hurt by the jutsu- and an outsider just broke through it? How and why? Perhaps I would be more amazed by the event if I weren't certain that my death time was looking as if it would be right about now.

I stared into the angry crimson eyes less than a foot away from my own (what was the point of looking away now?) and tried not so shake in terrorr. It wasn't my fault! I didn't even know how it happened it just..did.

"Kounichi- you will explain to the most exquisite of detail as to what just happened. Quickly if I were you." he whispered in a deadly silent voice, and I knew that was nothing compared to the rage he was experiencing internally. Had I been anyone other than who I was, I knew without a doubt he would have simply killed me then and there. I couldn't decide if this meant I was lucky, or quite the opposite.

"I...I don't know.." I muttered, finding trouble in bringing my voice out of hiding.

"Tell me Sakura!" he stated louder, and I flinched at his tone. Every fiber of being in my body was telling me I was going to die- and who was I to argue with that logic? I was housed in a place of mad killers! Realistically, it was only a matter of time until one of them snapped.

"I can't!" I shouted back, forcing myself to find strength again. "I can't tell you what I don't understand Itachi, I don't care how bad you want to know!" I stood up at this, using every trick I knew to make it so I wasn't as afraid. Even in such a bad situation I couldn't afford being weak and afraid, sometimes bluffing was all you had left.

Even if it was all a lie, I had to look strong- put some power back into myself, even if I didn't feel it.

Itachi moved closer to me, and I didn't even flinch. (Externally at least)

"So you are saying that you broke out of one of the most intricate of all jutsu's simply by chance kounichi?" he whispered again with a snarl.

I sighed, thinking it through, sitting down to try to calm him down. I wasn't afraid as much, so I had to diffuse the angry Uchiha so I would be back in control of the situation.

"This has happened once before, somewhat simular circumstances.." I answered, allowing my mind to travel way back in time.

It was the Chunin exams, and Ino and I (Irony still enjoyed paying me a visit then too) were matched together. When she tried to transfer her soul into mine- Inner Sakura had kicked her out. Ino and Tsunade are the only people in the whole world who know about Inner Sakura, and Ino only knows simply because of the battle alone.

I wasn't exactly comfortable saying aloud that I had an alternate personality in my head- that controls certain levels of my personality for that matter. I was crazy enough-I didn't need people sending me to some ward for it.

After getting the notion I wouldn't be explaining myself, Itachi hissed again "Explain."

I had never known they could show any emotion at all, though I knew very well that Sasuke had a temper. Apparently he had gotten it from his older brother, who was ready to destroy me all because I was clinically psychotic by definition.

Great.

I gave him a questioning look, wishing with everything in me that he wouldn't make me say it out loud. Itachi's eyes narrowed even further than I thought possible, and my blood froze at his intense and threatening glare.

God- this would be so embarassing..

"Uh...Inner...Sakura.." I mumbled so quietly it was hardly audible to my own ears. Itachi stepped back slightly, now confused at to what I had just said.

"Inn..What?" he asked, still glaring, but now more of a perturbed look of frustration.

I gave a sigh, slumping back into the chair in defeat. "Inner Sakura ok?" I groaned loudly, staring at the floor as I felt the embarrassment pool over me.

"Inner Sakura." Itachi stated quizically as if I were being sarcastic, "Do enlighten me."

"Well if you must know, Inner Sakura is a separate entity in my head." I continued staring down into the floor, certain that I would never be able to meet the gaze of any of them ever again. "It seems as though she doesn't stand for people infiltrating my brain- last time I was faced with a special genjutsu type like this, the same thing happened. I can't tell you how because it's not me doing it...well..it is..but it's not. I have no clue how it works, when, or why. It's just...Inner Sakura"

I slowly brought my gaze up in shame, making sure it was only Itachi that I caught gazes with. I didn't think that I had any dark secrets in my life...until now, and in one day with complete strangers, they already knew about it.

Itachi stepped back slightly, giving my a look that made it seem as if he wasn't sure if I was being honest or making some bad joke. After a moment of analyzing me, he seemed to realize that my strange story was true, and that only seemed to baffle and confuse him further.

I couldn't say I blamed him. I don't even think I would believe the story if it hadn't been for the fact that I was the person with the strange phenomenon.

Itachi once again stared at me for a few moments longer, than stoically walked back to his chair across the room in deep concentration.

"Fascinating." he mumbled, crossing his hands across his face as he concentrated. It was incredible how similar the two looked sometimes. I had been so busy hating Itachi that I really never even took in the time to notice what he looked like. Itachi and Sasuke looked so very similar, it was incredible I had never seen it from the beginning. Now that I think of it, it would only be natural that Sasuke had picked up on some of Itachi's mannerisms.

No matter how much he had hated the man, he would have still replicated many things Itachi did in childhood, simply because of the fact it was his older brother.

"So you have...multiple personalities then?" It was Hidan's voice, and I slowly turned my head in regret and embarrassment, taking my mind of from wandering about the Uchiha's past.

Hidan was smirking at me as if it were some 'I knew it' moment. I nodded sheepishly, knowing that denying it now would simply give room for them to make fun of me later.

Kakuzu pointed to Zetsu, who was currently hanging out of the ceiling, "Nothing new around here. At least your 2nd half is contained though." (Is that was it was?)

Hm. I suppose that was true- even if Inner Sakura's harsh personality did seep out every once in a while, it was generally better than how Zetsu had it.

Itachi stood up, and there was a slight smirk at his lips- not a good sign.

Deidara spoke up at this, "What are you so happy about. You just got beat by a little girl."

I wasn't sure if it was a compliment or an insult, so I ignored it altogether. Though I was curious about Itachi's response. Generally he was as expressive as a rock, and just about as lively, though I seemed to bring out the worst in him. Rage, and random smirking. It was apparently so odd for Itachi to be expressive towards any emotion that the members were commenting on it as well. Naturally I was curious. What was he smirking about?

Itachi merely glared from the corner of his eye, though overall seemed to ignore Deidara's jab.

"Are you blind Deidara? We are fighting an enemy with the eyes and body of a Uchiha. If Sakura is immune to the sharingan we have a huge gain. I intend on relaying this information to Pein. We'll see what he has to say."

The room stilled at Itachi's claim, and even I myself was dumb founded.

That was quite the development. One of Orochimaru's greatest trump cards was the sharingan- Itachi having the same if not greater eyes would be a great advantage to the resistance...but adding in someone else that he couldn't touch with his new power? That would shake things up drastically..

However...the likelyhood of the event being something more than just an accident was..

"Wh- Come on Itachi- it's just a fluke! Don't make this thing bigger than it is, it was one time!" I called out as he took a step to walk away, hoping that I could keep this as quiet as possible. In truth, I didn't want this going back to Pein, but more importantly, I didn't want Itachi and the gang to get their hopes up on something I couldn't control.

"Shouldn't we test this or...something?" I asked absent mindfully.

Itachi turned back to me, a full out grin- GRIN on his face...or more of a wide, smirk really. It was dark, mischievous, and all out creepy. It was like Itachi was suddenly enjoying this.

"Oh, I am aware of this kounichi. That's why we will be testing the limits of your mind..." he headed out of the room, then paused, "Tomorrow.." he stated, then kept walking.

I gaped after his disapearing form, Inner Sakura alive in my head again and cussing him out with each step. Testing the limits of my mind? The hell was that supposed to mean? Was this some form of punishment...for getting out of my punishment? It wasn't my fault once again!

Kisame stood up, grinning at me ear to ear, "You are full of surprises aren't you? I don't think I've met anyone that can so much as stand up after such an attack from the sharingan. You weren't impacted in the slightest bit. Don't doubt that I'll be witnessing this testing girlie." And with that, he walked off too. I had to keep focused to not gape like a fish all over again. (No pun intended there..)

...He would be watching?

This really was a big deal wasn't it? S Ranked criminals were interested in MY skill (well, sort of anyhow)

What was with these men and their inhuman ability to say something so surprising and slightly improper? Watching Itachi zap me with his blood thirsty eyes over and over again- Lord knows they'd force me to whip them up some popcorn so they could enjoy the show with a front seat view.

After that, they each stood up one by one, assembly lining behind me, informing me of their thoughts over the event. Each made me nod with dread- as most of them stated that they too would want to watch the outcome of our non-battle.

"Multiple personalities?" Deidara asked, standing in front of me with his arms crossed.

I nodded slowly, staring back at him suspiciously. It was only a matter of time until the negative comments started pouring out of his mouth.

He smirked, speaking over his shoulder as he walked out (another trait that most of the guys shared- their conversations were all shared as they walked off) "Well hopefully your second one is the kind and sweet one. The outer one is feisty."

Perhaps it was my immagination...but I sware he was smirking when he said it. It felt somewhat like...a compliment?

I shook it out of my head, deciding that I too needed to head off to bed..at least that is what I assumed they were doing. I would need the night to start healing up my arm, and mentally prepare for the next day.

One full day living in this hell hole down. By some miracle- I was still alive.

But come tomorrow, with Itachi's 'mind games' or what not...I just hoped I would be as lucky come this time tomorrow.

iiiiiii

I opened my door slowly, keeping as quiet as possible as I stuck my head out the door and looked around in the empty hall.

Cost clear.

I made a decision and I simply couldn't handle it anymore. I didn't care what the consequences might be- I had to do this for myself.

I grabbed my small handful of trinkets and walked quietly out of the room, placing each foot on the ground with percision so I wouldn't cause any unneeded noise. I let out a sigh of pent up stress, and I turned down the hall again. I moved in for a while, remembering my internal map so I didn't get lost. Nothing like opening the door expecting one thing and walking in on a sleeping S-ranked criminal. My new definition of the words, 'wrong turn'.

I grabbed the door handle, praying to every god (not Hidan's) that it was the right door. Taking a small peak inside, I gave a sigh of relief and walked in.

Thank God.

I could finally take a shower.

My first move was to lock the door, and only after being sure that it was locked, did I begin to undress.

I felt so gross really. It had been almost five full days sense my last shower, and it was as if I could feel a literal layer of dirt all over myself. I turned on the water and stepped in, a bit cramped compared to mine at home I noticed with a frown- but it had good water pressure at least. I allowed the water to pool over my body for a moment, then I got to work on the shampoo and conditioner.

As much as I wanted to lounge around and relax, I knew that it would waste precious time.

I wasn't sure how long it took the guys to wake up, but I didn't want to be around in the shower when they did. That would be awful.

I continued to go about the showering process in a slight hurry, wanting to be clean and escape the bathroom before any eyebrows were raised. I couldn't help it though- I needed to shower! I had been dreading this day sense I had first thought of it back when we were traveling, but perhaps it wouldn't have to be that bad. I simply had to shower off, shave, lotion, and I'd be out of the bathroom and it would all return to 'normalcy'.

Right?

As if my horrors were put into motion- I froze as I heard the door open. What? No no! I locked the door! How could this be happening to me?

WHY? It was my first shower here and someone got in- this was a bad sign if I ever saw one!

Ninja took a back seat to my girlish instincts, and before I could decide for a better method, I screamed.

Not too loud actually, with the shower going it would barely be heard out of the bathroom, but it was enough for the invader to hear I was sure of it.

"Damn Deidara- you scream like a girl..." the groggy voice mumbled, it sounded like Kisame. And suddenly I knew what was going on, my mind now taking back control over the adrenaline spike. It was my 2nd day here in the hideout. They weren't used to a girl around. Generally, there wouldn't be a need to lock the door when they were all guys and there was a shower curtain, heck even if there wasn't. Being as tired as he was, I doubted he could even register the fact that I was an addition to the the book now.

Pretty much, I had to make him come to terms with the fact I was NOT Deidara, and was in fact a GIRL, before things got out of hand.

"It's cause I AM a girl!" I shouted over the water, slightly frustrated and panic mode on all time high. What would happen if Kisame decided to pull a prank on 'Deidara' and pull the curtain back? The guy already saw all my clothes- I did not want him to see the rest of me.

"Deidara about time you admit it. I always knew you had a sma-"

"Whoah! I don't want to hear it! This is not Deidara, this is SAKURA!" I shrieked back to him, wishing that Kisame could keep his thoughts to himself. I knew it was a big part of 'male bonding' to make fun of each other in such manners, but there was a reason girls weren't a part of the bantering.

We were girls.

There was a long moment of silence where the only sound was the water from the shower head, until it seemed Kisame's mind put two and two together

"Saku...-Fuck!" and the door slammed open and shut.

I gave a loud sigh, throwing my hands to my face from the stress.

Dear Lord- why did I ever think I'd be able to shower like a normal human being? Why?

I cautiously continued my shower, hurrying through the process even quicker than I had before. This was a disaster! All I wanted to do was scrub the caked off filth from by body- was that too much to ask for? Truly?

I finished as quickly as possible, walking out of the shower and grabbing the towel the same moment. As I was wrapping the towel around my body, the door opened again.

I shrieked again, tightening my grip on the towel and holding it against my body for dear life. Dear god! This was the worst time to take a shower- everyone was waking up!

As the door opened more, I glared at the incoming perpetrator, hoping I could catch their eye contact before they came in all the way. I was greeted by blonde hair- and I instantly knew that this situation would be an...interesting one..

Deidara looked at me disinterestedly, shaking his head and turning toward the sink.

...Was he going to leave?

..I had to get dressed...

I gave a loud sigh (You know, the kind where you tap your foot and glare? That one.) and stared at him hoping to drop the hint, though he continued staring into the mirror and started splashing water on his face to wake up.

"Um..HELLOO?" I stated, moving to the sink and turning off the water, glaring down at him still, hoping that the glare method might work even at this point.

Deidara wiped the water off his face, looking over towards me and staring at my towel wrapped body as if there was nothing wrong with the scene.

"What?" he asked, standing up and crossing his arms.

I was slightly taken back. His tone was sharp as if I was the one unconvincing him.

"Um...I'm in a towel, Deidara.." I stated with sarcasm, hoping he would get the message.

"Yes you are. Pink even. Congratulations." he turned back to the sink, grabbing out his tooth brush.

..Wha? God! Men were so bloody annoying and rude! At least this was the only one so truly horrid- at least the others had enough decency to allow me the privacy to shower.

"No- I need to get dressed!" I stated in a louder, more agitated voice. God he was the biggest pain!

He shrugged, "Then get dressed. You have a good arm still."

I gaped with a cough, staring at the ground as my face heated up from the mere idea of changing with him in the room.

"Um, I'm not stripping down in front of you! In case you forgot, I'm a girl! And for that matter, I hate you!"

He turned back to me, smirking slightly, "So you strip for people if you like them?"

"Ye- NO!" I shook my head, getting lost in the conversation. "Deidara, stop! I'm in a towel dripping wet with a broken arm. It can't get much worse for me so can you just leave me alone long enough for me to get dressed?"

He gave an innocent look as if he were truly considering it, "Hmm. No. Sorry- but I want to brush my teeth."

"Then brushed your damned teeth after I am fully clothed and out of the bathroom!"

I couldn't believe it. Not only had I been walked in on by two separate males, but one of them didn't even care! I was in a towel, therefore it was all ok to be in the same room with me. I watched Deidara with a soured stare as he brushed his teeth, taking little to no mind that I was there at all.

Damned blonde haired bastard.

He set his toothbrush on the counter, and I gave a sigh of relief, "Finally, you brushed your teeth, now go. I'm still waiting to get dressed."

Deidara turned to the door, and then leaned against it, staring at me, "Neh- I feel like chilling out here. It's so noisy out there you know?"

I grimaced slighly, slapping my hand to my face in agony. Why was I not surprised? I should have known he would pull a stunt like this simply to piss me off.

"Deidara please go for the love of god. I didn't even do anything to you, can you just leave me alone for one minute."

He gave a brilliant smile that would make any girls knees weak (not mine- I've was border line suicidal at this point) "Why should I do that Sakura?"

"It's commen decency Deidara! I...I donno- that's just how things are!"

He gave a shrug, still smiling innocently, "Yeah but..I've already seen you naked...remember?" He drew out the word 'remember' like it was a no duh thing, and I wanted to hurl. Oh how could I forget?

No, seriously. How could I? If only there was a jutsu or something...but as far as I knew, I was stuck with the nagging thoughts that I had a one night stand with THAT.

"Please, you don't remember a thing just like I don't. Might as well say it never happened, now will you just..."

He shook his head, grinning ear to ear as he watched me glare at him in desperation. I couldn't jump him in fear of loosing the one thing that kept me covered, but if I got dressed in the tub I'd risk getting my clothes wet..

I groaned, crossing my arms and giving a my famous 'hmph' "I really hope Karma kicks you good one day. May you be cursed with a one eyed wife named Burthtrude that has anemic dysentery."

"As long as its not a pink haired bitch named Sakura. Now THAT would be hell."

I glared at him. Damn he was good with comebacks I had to admit. Though I suppose years on end not really speaking with anyone would give you plenty of time to prepare however...

I gave yet another 'hmph', grabbing my neatly folded clothes in my arms, and with a glare, transferred out of the room using the same skill I had seen Kakashi use time after time.

I stood in my bedroom, instantly locking, and chakra sealing the door.

Damn.

iiiiii

I plated the last amount of bacon and toast, scowling at Kisame as he hovered over me with the Samehada.

Itachi had sent him to make sure that I made breakfast before he and I began his little testing experiment- so now he stood only a few steps behind me at all times, waiting for one false move so he could deliver one of the closest shaves of my entire life.

I really hated all the men here.

The only one that I didn't seem to despise for being alive was Kakuzu- simply because he hardly said anything to me at all. Hidan didn't speak to me all that much either, but his creepy ceremonies and such made me deeply disturbed by him.

I turned around, staring up at the blue shark man with aggrivation, "There- can I go now?"

He gave a wide toothy grin that showed one too many of his long pointed fangs, "I guess so little girl. Wouldn't want to keep Itachi waiting."

I tried not to respond as I walked off toward the lounge, thinking about the horrors today could bring. It sounded cruel didn't it? Itachi has a theory, so naturally he would have to zap me a million times over with his blood thirsty eyes.

Of course.

I sat down in the lounge, finding that only Sasori was in there at the time. He looked up at me as I walked in, continuing to stare as I sat down. For a moment I just tried to ignore it, though after a moment, couldn't take it all that much.

It was only 2 hours into the day and I already wanted to kill something.

"Need something Sasori?" I asked, picking at my nails and doing anything I could think of to keep from having to make eye contact back with him.

I heard him shift in his spot across the room, then respond back, "It's just funny to watch you."

"Oh?"

"You are very strong willed- aren't you?"

I gave a small nod, trying not to get rude and defensive from the get go. He hadn't said anything mean or callous, but just the fact he was saying anything at all put me on edge. I simply wanted to sit out in the lounge- not have a heart to heart with Konoha's most wanted criminals.

"Well I was trained by Tsunade."

From my peripheral vision I could see him nod, then for a moment drop the conversation. That would be nice. However, he started speaking back up again as if there were some itching question in the back of his mind

"...So you and Deidara eh?"

My head shot up, a blush instantly spreading across my face like wildfire, "Absolutely not! I was drunk...VERY drunk...and for that matter I hate the guy. Today in the shower was just a-"

"The shower? Just what were you two doing in there?"

Inner Sakura almost died of laughter as I scrambled to correct what I had just said. I had assumed he was referring to this morning with Deidara refusing to leave the bathroom- not from way back in Konoha where I almost killed him..

"NO! Nothing like that- I hate the guy!"

"Hey now now don't go hating the player..'Sup Sasori my man."

Speak of the devil.

I slunk back into the couch in misery, keeping a groan in my throat as Deidara strutted in the empty room. He took a seat on the opposite side of the room where he usually sat as far as I could tell, turning towards Sasori as he sat.

"What do you want?" Sasori asked him suspiciously, apparently not seeming to like his random invasion all that much either. I could easily understand why Sasori hated Deidara (if he did or not that it) The idiot must be so obnoxious to be around all the time.

"Just walking around- heard my name and thought I'd defend the title."

"World's greatest Ass? Don't worry- there's no competition worthy to beat you. Titles yours down pack!" I found myself saying, and I was amazed at how quickly the words started coming out of my mouth when this guy was around.

Deidara turned to me, looking slightly confused and bewildered, "Sorry, I'm just a bit dumbfounded...shouldn't you be in the kitchen cleaning something?"

I opened my mouth to tell off that sexist jerk, but Sasori interrupted me before I could get my response in.

"Could you two give it a rest? Damn. You'll have plenty of time to kill each other you know, we're going to be here for a while. Keep it up and Itachi will make you two hold hands and dash into the sunset together."

I nodded bitterly, deciding to change the subject to a very uninformal, bland and factual way of things, "Speaking of kitchen, food's up and on the counter. Better grab it while it's still hot cause it's not in my contract to reheat your food."

At that, both the men got up, leaving me alone in peace and quiet.

Finally.

It was all so crazy and dramatic here. Not that I expected to get along with them by any means, however it seemed that every moment was an all out battle for dominance.

All I wanted was a bit more freedom- was that too much to ask for? I wanted to be able to shower without having to beg to get dressed, I wanted to be able to walk around without having to bow down to the very ground Itachi walked on, I didn't want to be forced to do these chores for the lazy men...

I just wanted to go home!

I simply wasn't able to bite my tongue and not shout what was on my mind when it came down to it- I had a broken arm to prove it! I had spent a few good long hours setting the bone just right- a painful process, but if I expedited the chakra moving throughout my immune system, I might be able to make a full recovery in less than five days..

All over dropping the F bomb on Itachi and Deidara too, how ridiculous was that. They even deserved it too. It was like having parents again, but even worse because I couldn't move out.

I was stuck in this crazy mad house with these crazy mad people and their crazy mad demands.

If the world managed to get through this situation and I was still alive when it was all said and done, I would get revenge without a doubt.

Not even revenge like death. No- they weren't good enough for that. I would make them scrub toilets with a toothbrush for a straigt year! Teach them a thing or two about manners..

THEN I'd kill them...

I gave a sigh, allowing some of the bitterness to repress back into Inner Sakura's filing system of my concentrated emotions, moving on to Konoha. What were they doing down there?

And what of Pein? I doubted they were making him do the things they were making me do here. Knowing Tsunade, he got that whole house room to himself. Me? I got three pairs of shoes- one of them were snow boots for that matter, and about 5 minutes of private time in the puny shower.

I missed my friends...Naruto and Ino, Kakashi-sensei...everyone.

Tsunade..

I didn't like not being there to help my village. Even though I had technically made the greater sacrifice for them by coming out here, it still felt as though I were running away. As much as I complained about my being out here and their horrid treatment, if there was one thing I hadn't felt this entire time was fear.

Unlike in Konoha where I was so afraid of a sudden attack I couldn't sleep at night- here...even if we were attacked at point blank range...I knew I would remain safe.

I was under the watchful protection and alliance of the most powerful organization of the entire ninja world- as awful as they were as people- they were _incredible_ ninjas.

While Konoha was on the front line, I was hiding behind the strongest people in the world, hundreds of miles away, just chilling out in some trench.

I groaned slighly, shifting slightly again and looking around. Perhaps I should be a bit less troublesome to them...after all, they were helping Konoha by destroying an enemy we really couldn't touch.

I didn't like it at all- but maybe cooking for them and these tasks that seemed annoying to me was the one thing Konoha/myself could do to repay them back. Afterall, it seemed as if they weren't gaining all that much by allying with Konoha, so I wouldn't fight so hard against them.

Sasori walked back in, poking and prodding at the small dish suspiciously.

"I'm surprised you eat. I didn't really know you _could_ eat to be honest." I admitted as he sat down, shoving a piece of toast in his mouth.

He gave a small smirk, "I may be a puppet but I'm not dead. I need food just like any other person here."

I shrugged, moving my attention to the ground again, "I guess..."

"So, you ready for Itachi today? I didn't think I'd ever witness the day where the sharingan would be beaten- let alone by a little girl."

"Little?"

"You're 19 right?"

"A legal adult!"

"A little girl."

"Psh. Well to answer you're question- No. I don't want to be Itachi's test subject. In all honesty, I'd prefer to be far away from here..."

"Yet here you are."

"Exactly.."

Sasori finished his breakfast, setting his plate aside and leaning forward on his arm, as if preparing for a more deep conversation. "So I'm curious, assuming all goes well and all with Orochimaru- what happens when you get back to Konoha?"

His question confused me slightly, "Uh..what do you mean? Like..what exactly?"

"Don't you have any plans or anything? If you are so adamant about getting back to your village- isn't here something you want to achieve when you do return?"

I shrugged, trying to think about an answer. I suppose it was a legit question. I had been difficult this whole time for these past two days in the hideout, it would only seem natural that I have a reason I want to return- some great assignment or goal...however...

"My people are there. I'm loyal to them and I'd do whatever they need me to do. I don't have a goal because my goals are whatever they want for me. Konoha is my home..."

"Well that sounds dumb.." he stated, and it was difficult to not take offense.

"Oh? And why's that? I suppose loyalty wouldn't make much sense to any of you.." I replied in half spite and half seriousness

"Put down the smoking guns there girl. Forget about Konoha, you're feelings, and for ten seconds of your life just listen with an open mind. You are possibly the best medical ninja in this known world- but the only people you help is your small group of people."

I gaped, shaking my head, "That's not true! I help our allies and-"

"Only people that can help you, or only people that like you. That sounds like such a sacrifice for the people of the world- only getting help from you and your nation if they know the right people."

I opened my mouth, but found I had no response to his allegations. Surely they were wrong right? Konoha was right- the beacon of all light and hope for the rest of the world! Even if he were right, I was on the side of good!

I was doing a good thing by living my life for Konoha. It was how I could protect my family!

Sasori laughed, "Loyalty can be a good thing, but don't forget that loyalty can tie your talent and turn you blind. I'm not saying you are wrong child and that we are right- there's a reason we have countless nations chasing after us- but don't think that you are working for perfect people that are god's gift to humanity. As the saying goes, there's three sides to every story. Your side, my side, and the side that's actually what's going on."

He paused, sensing my disturbed silence, "I'll just leave you to think on that, besides, I think that's Itachi there in the doorway for you."

I looked up, seeing that upright Uchiha against the hallway frame, staring at me with in interested smirk that I doubted I would ever see on his empty face ever again. He clearly wasn't used to being beaten, and this was his form of a rematch.

Great.

He was trying to rematch against a broken armed, 19 year old girl, that was all but trembling at his powerful feet- trying to explain that it wasn't my fault I had mental disabilities.

"You don't really need to waste your time Itachi..." I gave a nervous laugh, standing up and atempting to walk right past him, "I'm sure that it was all a fluke and you'll be able to kill me dead easily."

He grabbed my shoulder just as I walked past him, and I groaned as he gave a dark laugh, "Not so fast Sakura."

iiiiii

I gave a nervous 'please let lightning strike me dead' groan, looking around the area.

It was exactly as Deidara had said- an old abandoned training ground that no one ever used.

Until now.

It was a wide clearing with a small obstacle course to the right, targets and dummy's to the left, and in the center, a large open dirt arena for sparring.

Itachi and myself stood in the middle of the arena, and on the edges, a ring of the other Akatsuki members watching for the outcome. Either option would be enjoyable for them I'm sure. In my case of winning (or whatever it would be called) it would be fun for them to see their powerful indefeasible enemy beaten so easily, and in the case that I lost, they would for sure get a kick of of the fact that I am unconscious on the ground at the hand of one of their own.

"You ready kouinichi?" Itachi asked, eyes instantly flaring into the sharingan and not the deep obsidian I preferred.

I gave him a skeptical look, "Yes. Please knock me out instantly with a justsu that put my sensei in the hospital for about a month. I am wanting so desperately to fall to the ground at the mercy of S-ranked criminals, let's get this thing in motion as soon as possible.."

"That was your sensei wasn't it? I had almost forgotten..Ah well. Like Sudent like Teacher.."

Itachi's stare on me intensified, and I could feel an uncomfortable burning in my head.

I watched him in confusion, wondering when he was going to attack.

A few seconds passed, and Itachi shifted to a more powerful stance, glaring daggers into my head, and finally with a sigh, stood back up with a perturbed look across his face.

I stood up more straight as well, no longer in a defensive stance, equally confused, "What was that? I thought you were going to attack me with your mangekyo sharingan."

He shook his head, closing his eyes and releasing the sharingan, "I did."

He looked back up, eyes back to the black coal they should be, and he kept staring at me, trying to figure out whatever had just happened.

Even I was confused by it. Nothing had even happened. I will admit I could feel a burn in my skull, but I didn't even shift into the alternate dimension or whatever it was. There was no genjutsu...nothing..

"It appears as though your inner counterpart has learned to block out the sharingan entirely."

"What?" I asked, slightly confused, though generally it made sense.

Inner Sakura was acting like the immune system for my mind. The first time introduced with the sharingan, Itachi, if only for a moment, was inside, and in control of my mind, and then Inner Sakura took matters in her own hands and closed the door on Itachi.

This time, Itachi didn't even get entry into my mind at all- Inner Sakura knew the signs of an attack from the sharingan and had by this time, blocked Itachi out for good. That would explain why Itachi's genjutsu felt as if it didn't take any effect on me at all..

It hadn't.

I was 'immune' from the sharingan.

'Hell yeah! Keepin that bastard where he belongs!' Inner Sakura cheered with shadow pompoms, doing a back flip at her success.

I smirked in agreement with...myself..knowing that Itachi was right all along.

We had stumbled across an interesting development.

There were now two people Orochimaru's new eyes couldn't touch- and that meant one thing for certain.

I was a valuable player for the team- even one as advanced as the Akatsuki.

Deidara was wrong.

I wasn't weak at all.

iiiii

a/N: Hey guys :D

I know it has taken so long to get this chapter out. I am sorry guys, it's been crazy down here where I live. I had this crazy dream- my sister was moving back home (then she wasn't) I've got so much college stuff I'm swimming in the paperwork, I opened a debit card account (whoot!) I'm starting Dave Ramsey's FPU class in September, I work full time AND I'm having a baby!

Haha- just kidding!

No baby (I would literally cry- kids aren't my thing) but everything else is true. Plus this chapter is sort of in between plot points if that makes sense, so it was hard to get out because I want to write the cool battle scenes and stuff like that. All in due time of course.

Thanks for all the support, I LOVE reading your comments and don't be afraid to ask questions. I do get back to people as best I can, though I won't lie and say I wait day and night for feedback. I do what I can- and if I play my cards right, I should be able to update this COMING Tuesday (this next chapter is one I am excited about!) sort of to make up for the fact that I haven't updated in over a month now.

Thanks again- love you all :3

Midnight


	11. Running, Falling, and Fighting

Midnight: Omaigoodniss gracious!

Sakura: What? Surprised by the fact you are ACTUALLY following your deadlines again?

Midnight: No. (sheesh talk about bitter) I am officially over the double didget mark!

Itachi: What excitement.

Midnight: Oh but it is! And the greatest part- Sakura has been living with the Akatsuki for -gasp- one full week at this point. Only 3 days in the hideout, but with the four days traveling- DA DAH! One whole freakin week.

Itachi: It took you 10 chapters to go over one week of someone's life? How pathetic.

Sakura: Oh shut up you cretin. With all the mean things you have said and done in this story, it's incredible I'm even talking to you!

Midnight: Don't worry Sakura, things will smooth out.

Sakura: Really?

Midnight: ...Uh..sure. Just...read I guess.

iiiiiiiiiii

I pulled back my matted and tangled hair into a messy frizzy bun, mumbling to myself as I walked through the hallway still half asleep.

Damn that Itachi and his stupid cups of water.

I mean, come on people- we weren't on attack or anything- there was no need for me to be up at 6 every morning. After having to seriously bite my tongue to keep Inner Sakura at bay, I did manage to ask him why he was waking me up.

His bloody answer?

I have to wake up before everyone else here- that way- breakfast will be ready for them at 7 promptly.

That little Uchiha brat.

I'd like to pluck his eyelashes out one by one just to laugh at how ugly he would look without them. Ha!

I moved into the bathroom, brushing my teeth quickly and then promptly heading to the kitchen before I could give serious thought about how messed up this all was. Walking through the doorway, I moved to the sink with a groan.

Dishes from yesterday's cooking. Three full meals times 8 people per meal- plus all the pots and pans...This could take hours- forget about actually getting it served up before 7 for the ungrateful degenerates.

As I began stacking the dishes, Itachi walked in, leaning against the fridge, bored.

"Let me guess- here to watch over me again? Poor Kisame asleep?"

Itachi looked up, his face bland and stoic again, seeming to have gotten over the fact that I had some odd immunity to the sharingan. "I don't know what my partner may be up to. However it seems obviously clear that he isn't here."

I turned back to the dishes shaking my head. He was as helpful as always- stating the obvious with such a sarcasm one could feel like an idiot by even his stare alone. Just typical.

"Just so you know, I didn't pick up all that much food- I'll be out by the end of the week so either I'll need to get more or you guys have to put take out on speed dial."

Itachi gave a nod, closing his eyes and staring down at the ground, seeming to rest his mind and just..live in the moment. It was moments like this that I wanted to just sit and...watch him. Putting all the bantering between us aside, I WAS among the greatest ninja known- and this one was of my own village.

Being the hokage's personal advisor, apprentice, and assistant, I was privy to Itachi's file, and any other file we had for that matter. This guy was a village leader before he hit puberty, and had killed off his entire family before he was my age- and that was all without the training of some higher up.

I was great at being a medic because of Tsunade- Itachi- I'm sure was taught 'Uchiha' secrets by his family (most likely father)- but overall, he taught himself. I could only imagine the level of devotion it would have taken him to become so great- and at such an age too! He could perform jutsu's when he was three! When I was three I didn't even know what chakra was- let a lone know how to use it, mold it, and then manage to perform a jutsu with it.

"What are you doing?" he mumbled, and I jumped slightly, somehow knowing that he knew I had been staring at him this whole time.

"N-nothing.." I mumbled, turning around and staring the dishwater.

"I know. There has been no sound of productivity on the dishes, let alone breakfast."

I wanted to glare at his all but demand to do the dishes and such (Not like he would be able to tell however)- though I decided not to press the matter. I didn't want to have to admit to the fact that I was amazed at his history, albeit disturbing and filled with cold blood, but amazing all in all.

The truth behind it all? I was impressed and finding that even though I knew all of the awful things he had done- including the fact that my poor arm was still in a sling- I found that I had...respect for the guy.

Taking one last peek over my shoulder, I found myself having a half grin across my face and saving the image to memory. Inner Sakura instantly starting screaming at me as to why I was doing such a thing, though I found myself putting her rants on mute and allowing myself a bit longer to live in the moment.

I scrubbed the first of the dishes, finding my mind trailing back to Sasuke. What it must have been like to grow up beside Itachi. I'm sure the jealousy would have been immense for the younger Uchiha- especially when he first got into the academy. Around the time Sasuke would have first started the academy, Itachi would shortly become a welcome member to the black ops- only for a few years later to be promoted to the squad leader of the division.

Incredible..

I remember how happy Sasuke was as a young child, and not only that, but how talented he was.

Part of that was because he was a year older than I was so had a year longer at the academy, but even compared to the kids his own age- he was the shining pupil teachers would brag about at the end of the day. I remember he was so devoted, I didn't know why, but he had some purpose to why he pushed himself so hard. Looking back now, it must have been because of Itachi.

Sasuke wanted to be just as good as his older brother I'm sure- who wouldn't?

That's why I first had a crush on Sasuke- all the girls did. He had that cute kid face that made all the girls squeal, and the tallant and skill that made all the girls want to have the title of his girlfriend. I obviously was no acceptation, even though I was incredibly shy at that age.

He was so fun to be around. Everyone was his friend, he talked to almost everyone, and he was just so happy all the time..

And of course, I remember Sasuke after the Uchiha murders. He was gone out of the academy for almost a full two weeks- rumors spreading about the murders the entire time. I couldn't believe it, all those people? By one of their own?

Even as a young child, I knew how horrible that was- how dark and wrong it was.

When Sasuke came back? He was different, as one could only imagine of course. I was surprised however, I assumed that Sasuke would come back unchanged and just as fun and determined as he always was. Childish hope really. He did come back- and he was just as determined as before..

But he stopped talking to people.

He stopped laughing, he buried himself in school work so he didn't have time for anyone or fun. He slowly cut all ties he had from everyone. Really..he stopped_ living._

In an odd way, though Sasuke died a few weeks ago I presume- I think the real Sasuke died in the mass murder too with all the other Uchiha's. The Sasuke that I knew was sweet and cheerful- filled with hopes and dreams just like any other starry eyed kid back in the academy. The Sasuke that came back after the assassination was dark and...lonely.

Perhaps that's why I always wanted to be by his side at all times- it was the heart in me- the same one Sasuke said was too big to allow me to be a proper ninja- was the same heart that wanted to help him..cure him from his depression and hatred. I couldn't help it. I hated watching him live in pain, and grow up with him in team 7, each day seeing the pain I knew he felt, but not being close enough to him to help at all.

I realized years ago that I never really did love Sasuke- I was still a kid. I didn't know how to love, or what it was even. I saw hurt. I saw hurt that I wanted, and would do anything to fix. By the time Naruto had returned to the village a few years ago, I had long forgotten about Sasuke in that manner. I saw him for what he really was.

A deeply disturbed young man that betrayed his fellow ninja all for some ten year old grudge that he couldn't let go. He sent out such power via his own bloodline and body to the hands of one of our greatest threats for his own selfish wants and desires. For a long while, I held very little respect for the man.

I guess the only thing that could release him was death itself.

What a sad life indeed.

"Ne Itachi-" I stated without much thought, instantly alarmed I had spoken up at all

"What is it?" he asked, and somehow I knew that he was still standing there, eyes closed and unaffected, still relaxed. He didn't have to open his eyes to see if I were pulling out a kunai on him...

There was...trust there.

"I have another personal question.." I admitted, knowing I was pushing the boundaries of whatever nonexistent friendship we had. I pulled my hands out of the water, drying them off as I turned around, wondering what his facial expression would be. I was expecting him to have his eyes snapped open and suspicious, though I was wrong.

He was still leaning peacefully against the fridge, eyes closed peacefully. I almost chocked at the sight in disbelief, but I didn't want to have to force him to wake out of his meditation just to see me hacking on my own saliva.

I decided to speak up again, seeming as he hadn't said no as far as I could tell at least.

"Why did you leave Sasuke alive? Was it out of pity or some strange whim, some complicated guy reasoning-" I rambled on, being interrupted as I continued making up what I could imagine for his answers.

"-Why do you want to know?" he still had his eyes closed, but there was a tenseness...and amusement across his face.

I shrugged, regardless the fact that I knew he wouldn't be able to see it, "I was just thinking over Sasuke, and it just...didn't make sense. Why him? Why not someone else? And for that matter, why save anyone at all? There must have been some reason behind it- with someone with your talent, even at that age- you simply don't seem to be the time to do something without thinking it through all of the way right? I mean, out of everyone...why him? You had so many people, an entire clan to choose from. So many things you could have done...but Sasuke? I just...I'm curious."

Itachi shifted up his head, opening his eyes up slowly. For a long moment, he just stared at me with little to no expression across his face. Very unnerving. It was like he was staring into my head, however I knew that Inner Sakura would protect me there...but still.

"You think too much."

I sighed, knowing that meant I wouldn't receive an answer. I turned around, groaning out an agitated, "You suck..."

"Dishes Sakura.." he responded, with an audible smirk in his voice. I gave a light giggle that I couldn't suppress from my throat, and I shot straight up.

I instantly turned around, "Itachi I..." I paused, looking at the ground and taking a deep breath. He had his eyes fully opened, and they were currently reading alarm and confusion. He wasn't the only one...

"I need to go running. Now." I stated, a slight edge to my voice suggesting I was about to go crazy. And that I was.

Itachi watched me even harder, giving a slight shake to his head, "You know you can't just go off Sakura."

"Dammit Itachi..." I mumbled, biting my lip, "Can't you monitor my chakra or something? I _need_ to go running- like...now."

Itachi gave a sigh, closing his eyes in frustration and indecision, "There's no fighting you is there.." he mumbled back, more to himself than me. Not really caring about his answer, I ran for my bedroom, all but ripping off my casual clothing and returning to my normal medic clothing, running out the bedroom door and out into the hallway in a fluid motion.

I turned sharply to one of the hallway intersections, slamming roughly into Itachi, sending us both to the ground in a loud 'oof'.

I landed on top of him, and before I could even respond, I could feel his stare. "What are you doing kouinichi?" he demanded in his smooth voice, currently ringing with annoyance and a slight embarrassment. Incredibly, I think I had startled him though was certain he would never admit it. I promptly wanted to die, all but hovering into mid air to get off from him.

Good Lord what an idiot I was- slamming Itachi to the ground. How embarrassing..

He stood up, dusting off his slacks and ninja mesh shirt that- wait.

"You changed?" I shrieked, finding that I once again was stating what Itachi would claim as something obvious and worthless to reiterate.

He nodded, "As did you. You can't go running in normal clothes easily, and I am no exception."

I was so shocked over the entire event of ramming Itachi- let's say that again- ITACHI to the ground, that I almost didn't hear his last sentence. Wait- what now?

"So you're...coming with me.." I asked, pointing at him in disbelief and accusation.

"Now that we have an understanding of the obvious, I would prefer to get this over with."

I gave a deep frown, walking past him instantly. I wanted to run because I wanted to think. That's what I did when I was frustrated, and having Itachi right there would ruin it all.

Maybe I could...yes..

I pulsed chakra into my feet, dashing off and out of the hideout and leaving Itachi behind me. Granted I knew that would do little to keep him behind me, however it would give me an edge. This wasn't really a race however...I just needed to get away from_ him_.

I thought back to the kitchen as my feet hit the ground and kept going with all the speed I could muster. I was giggling like a little girl, like he was a friend of mine- like I trusted the guy and was laughing at all his lame jokes that I had most likely already heard.

Why?

I should have listened to Inner Sakura and just shut up and washed the dishes like she was saying! I just couldn't understand it...why was I acting like that?

I was acting like he was...my friend.

That guy was my enemy- he broke my arm over nothing! As I was yelling at myself, instantly my mind pulled up my filed image of Itachi standing there peacefully- the image I purposely put to memory, for whatever reason. To my defense (against myself..) that moment didn't feel like he was my enemy.

He had his guard down too.

Just like I did.

But why?

Why was I doing such things? I did that for friends, people I liked and trusted...not criminals that were...

My mind sighed. So I admitted it- the guy was handsome like Sasuke...if not more so even. There. I admitted it. In a normal situation, I could imagine Ino jumping up and down and clapping her hands as if I completed some long awaited task...however..

This was Itachi.

Ino would kill me.

But it wasn't like I had a crush on the guy by any means. I was certain of that.

But I was trusting him...enjoying my time with him...trying to build a friendship where no friendship belonged. It was like the employer/employee thing. They were work related people, nothing more. I wasn't going to sit around a table drinking coffee with the guy while talking about the good old days.

We were enemies. I hated the guy.

Right?

It was like that sentence was one so long removed from me, that I hated him. In an odd way, all the sharingan battles and struggle for power with him as he tried to control me..

It was like a game to me, and I wanted to keep playing it with him no matter how many broken bones I got. I wanted to learn about him, know more about the mysteries he surrounded himself with, know more about the part of Sasuke I would never know, and just...be around him.

I mentally slapped myself, disgusted by my own ideas and thoughts that were the farthest thing from what I should be thinking.

I had to put a stop to this. I had to remind myself of all the horrible things he had done- let Inner Sakura give me a serious talking to and revive my hatred and deep grudge against him.

This guy was the one that had Sasuke going crazy! It was him! His fault! Itachi was a crazy, mad man killer!

Catching my own thoughts off guard, I noticed Itachi beside me, keeping my pace as we ran to no particular destination in a forward direction. I watched him, turning my head to him and staring. I didn't even try to hide it from him. I was clearly staring at the guy, no way he could have missed it, though he just kept running forward.

...Dammit.

We continued running at top speed for a long while, my mind perhaps running just as much, if not more than my own body. It was now to the point where I though, and over thought most things, to such an extent that nothing at all made sense at all. I was frustrated, confused, and I could only glare at the raven haired Uchiha beside me.

Changing course, I ran back to where we had come from, Itachi not questioning- noticing the change for certain, but saying nothing as he followed beside me.

This was crazy! But...maybe not all that bad.

If I built relationships with people here...maybe I could use that for Konoha in the long run..

No. Stop thinking. You aren't making any logical sense, simply panicking at this point. Too big of a decision to sort out while running.

We ran back all the way to the hideout, though instead of going into the trench to get into the hideout, I jumped over it, heading to the training grounds. I needed more action. I had to make it so I stopped thinking about my strange behaviorisms. I just needed to think about anything else. Anything to keep my overactive mind busy.

I landed down on the ground, running to the training ground, stopping in a battle stance, regardless the fact that such harsh running for such an extended time had already wore me out. I had to stop this madness now.

It was just so hard with him right there! I couldn't sort out my thoughts about it when all I wanted to do was find some clever sentence to start a conversation back up..

"Fight me." I stated, glad that I had grabbed on my weapons as I changed- looking at Itachi, it appeared as if he had as well.

He stood a good ten feet away from me, also panting from the run, giving me a look that showed me he thought I was all but psychotic.

"Do it!" I demanded, and he took a small stance, uncertainly, though after a moment, his eyes changed to red.

Taking that as a symbol to begin, I charged for him, kunai already in hand. He leapt up into the air, eyes not missing a single action of my movement. He had pulled out his own kunai, and for the few seconds we were both in the air, it was spent clanging our kunai cleverly against each other, both trying to land a hit.

I was suspicious he was holding back, though even if he was, he was giving the fight enough attention so that I needed to focus slowly on our duel and nothing more. With speed I could barely even register, he was forming hand signs that I couldn't even follow.

"Gaton goukakyuu no jutsu " he mumbled, and I could remember that attack and words from Sasuke. It must have been a favored move by the Uchiha's if it was one of the first things Itachi defaulted to. Knowing that it would be foolish to just wait and see if I could dodge it or not, I used a technique Kakashi would often use to get out of sight and fast- burrowing my body deep underground to wait out the blazing heat that was almost instantly rushed above the surface just above me.

There was such an intensity to the flames- I could feel the heat radiating from them regardless the fact that I was underground. Moving to the source of Itachi's main stream of chakra, I carefully waited until the jutsu was over to explode out of the ground just below him, stabbing a kunai into his shoulder just as I was eye level with him.

Yes!

Itachi gave a small glare, grabbing the kunai out of his shoulder, and tossing it to the ground. I tried not to revel in the moment to long, it was just his arm-but at least we were even now.

Arm for arm.

Itachi then looked back at me, smirking suddenly as he disappeared into puff of smoke, a small wooden log falling to the ground.

"Substitution!" I shouted, instantly looking around for where the real Itachi had disappeared to. Dammit- it would have been when I went underground. Itachi had the sharingan, there was no way he couldn't see where I had gone, however I didn't have that luxury. When I went underground, he had taken my lack of sight on him to make the substitution, though kept his chakra there, knowing I would move to it thinking it was him.

Just as I was getting a plan in my head, the kunai I had stabbed into fake Itachi's shoulder started hissing. I looked over, only to be blown away into the air by an explosion. Clever. Putting an explosive tag to my own weapon. I would have never suspected that from the substitution. And now I was in a cloud of smoke, floating in the air. The ultimate weakness.

As I expected, Itachi suddenly appeared in the smoke, and it was all I could do to block his attacks, though even that was hard. Though I had managed to block the punch towards my face, I wasn't so lucky as to the knee in my stomach, kunai slice across my back- and in the end, punch to my face anyhow.

Might as well have been a slap to the face, that's how I felt at this point. However...

Itachi suddenly blew backwards, having been caught off guard. I had a few tricks up my sleeve- even if I were up in the air. (And even if I didn't have sleeves- that's how ninja I was) When I had blocked his punch, I had tossed some miniscule clothing bombs on him- not enough to hurt him drastically, but enough that would send him flying away from me.

I landed on the ground in a plop, halfway on my arms and keens, instantly collapsing as his attacks took effect to my body. It felt as if my organs were crying if that we possible. That guy had some serious strength- I could easily produce the same effect, and even greater...but his attacks were without chakra. Just a pure, physical punch that was his own strength alone...which I WOULD have to use chakra to recreate.

Incredible.

As the smoke cleared from the two explosive attacks, Itachi wasted no time, instantly pulling out a handful of kunai and shuriken, tossing them towards me. I jumped up to dodge most of them, feeling as if the pain from his last attack would be enough to do me in. It felt as if my head might actually fall off it was hit so hard- and that my poor brain had turned to jelly.

Just how strong was this guy- for one simple punch to do so much?

I knew my reactions were slower from his previous attack- running, and now that medical jutsu had considerably drained a decent ammount of my chakra- and I knew that the battle would be ended quickly.

Appearing a few inches in front of me, Itachi grabbed by neck, throwing me down like a rag doll. I hit the ground hard- very hard- making a dent in the earth with how forcefully he had thrown me. If I hadn't used chakra to cushion his death grip, my throat very well might have collapsed from the pressure alone.

Itachi, before I could even get up, was sitting over me, kunai at my neck. I breathed harshly, knowing he wouldn't kill me, but the adrenaline of it all catching up to me.

Damn he was fast.

And I'll wager he was hardly trying. This was the kid that I was just marveling at over in the kitchen. It wasn't a surprise he had beaten me so easily. But in all fairness, I wasn't at my best either. I was emotionally insecure, and I could feel that messing with my fighting.

"You loose, kouinichi."

I gave a slow nod, careful not to cut my skin with the way too close kunai- though I was more aware of the male ontop of me than I was of the kunai.

His closeness and proximity, I felt so…exposed to him. Putting aside the fact that he could so easily kill me, it was more than that.

My mind instantly began swirling again at this revelation, discovering that I did want a friendship with Itachi and maybe... I wanted to know about his life, and not just that...but more of them. Sasori, Kisame, Zetsu...they didn't seem bad and crazy. That night- the very first night I was here- I noticed that. They seemed like normal people.

I was tired of hating, and they didn't seem to act like they hated me.

What if we worked together- for real.

Like allies should?

In the end...wouldn't that help Konoha?

But most of all…I found that I didn't want to get up. My heart was racing and by body aching- but I just wanted to say there and have Itachi actually look at me- not through me- or see me as just an interesting girl that had odd quirks that had effected his sharingan…just see me.

For me.

Inner Sakura hissed inside of my head, 'That would be great if that was your real plan Sakura. You forget I'm in your head- I know that's just a lie you are telling yourself so you don't feel all guilty about it. Bad idea- don't do it'

This was an odd feeling. Inner Sakura and I were one. I wasn't used to her speaking against me. This took the term 'split decision' to a whole new meaning to me.

'I know what I'm doing..'

'Psh- no you don't!'

'What do you mean by that?'

'Don't lie to me- yourself- you know very well that you aren't pursuing a relationship with any of them for Konoha. You want to for you, it has nothing to do with Konoha!'

'You don't know that-'

'I'm apart of you! I forbid this! Hate them like you should, and wipe them off the face of the earth after they kill Orochimaru. For all we know, that's exactly what they're planning for you.'

'That's ridiculous! It's not like I have some hott crush on the guy! I just…'

'Yeah, not yet. With this mindset though, I don't know anymore though. You may just decide you want to marry the guy.'

'Itachi? Hell no- now that's cruel and you know it. I have no interest in the guy and you know it!"

'For now you don't. For now.'

'Stop it! You are me...you can't disagree with me! Isn't that impossible?'

'Well apparently it is, this decision though, it's not you. Maybe that's why we are splitting, and if you continue to act like this then I want nothing to do with you.'

'Acting like- you can't threaten me! You're inside my head! And for that matter, I am tired of living in hate! What if Ino and me..slash you..are right? What if there is peace out there? It all starts by letting hate go..'

'Well while you are finding this peace, I'll be waiting for them to attack you and shove it back in your face. Goodbye!'

I gasped, even though it was a mere split second and all in my head it felt as if I had been yelling with my inter counterpart for hours.

No...impossible..

Itachi paused, still staring at me harshly in all of his glory, though putting his kunai back in his holster. He watched me suspiciously, though seemed very suspicious as to my sudden change in character.

"Itachi something is wrong..." I mumbled in between breaths, feeling my forehead. My temperature was normal.

I could sense Itachi's concern, though there was nothing he could do at the moment. I was the medical ninja, not him.

I pushed a wave of chakra through my body, scanning myself for flaws or possible viruses. It read clean.

...I paused, the solution ringing in the back of my head though it was too scary to believe.

"What is it?" he asked, catching my attention. Itachi..of course.. Maybe he could help..

"Itachi activate your sharingan and knock me out." I demanded, making perfect eye contact so he knew I was serious.

He hesitated, though activated his sharingan, staring at me with his crimson eyes, still confused and uncertain.

"Just do it!" I demanded, shouting at him to either cross whatever line he had set in his head, or just to convince him to do it.

He leaned down slowly to a closeness I was uncomfortable with, aligning himself with my eyes, as if putting together a broken puzzle and analyzing the best way to go about putting it back together.

Whatever option worked, I got what I wanted because the last thing I remember was the spinning black dots in his eyes and then...everything started to fade away.

iiiii

I woke up, feeling like my brain had been hit with a wall of stone. I sat up slowly, greeted by various pairs of eyes.

Whole gangs here eh?

Though there was a general whisper as I sat up, the first voice that I could register was Itachi, speaking directly to me

"Sakura. What. happened."

I slowly looked to him, having to squint to make the 5 of him return to the one that was standing beside...whatever I was on.

"That's easy. You knocked me out.." I slurred, looking to the ground, trying to see what I was floating on. It appeared to be...the kitchen table? It was clearly these men were not medical ninja, that was certain.

It was hard to think right now, and I knew very well that I most likely wasn't helping any of them, but right now I was trying to pull my own mind back together. Finally, all my memories hit me, and I shot up straight again, my hand over my gaping mouth as if I were about to cry. It felt like I just might..

"I know that. I mean- why was my sharingan able to knock you out suddenly when yesterday it did absolutely nothing to you?"

I slowly looked up at him, feeling my eyes tear up, "This is going to sound really...really dumb...but Inner Sakura and I got in a fight...She is...gone. I don't think it's permanent..but for right now she's fairly ticked at me.."

Itachi gave me a questioning glance, though overall seemed to believe me, and sighed, "Great. So naturally you are prone to the sharingan again?" His tone was sarcastic, showing that he was fairly frustrated, though willing to listen.

I nodded, moving my hand down to the table, shifting my legs off the surface, and moving to sit on the edge of the table, "Well yeah. I told you I had nothing to do with the fact your sharingan not working- it was all Inner Sakura. I don't control her- if she wants to block it- she can, and if she doesn't...I can't make her. I know it sounds crazy...and in an odd way it is actually...but none the less, there is nothing I can do."

Kisame moved closer to the table, crossing his arms slightly, "So what were you arguing about? Shoes?"

I slightly annoyed me he would think my issues in my head were that petty, however I didn't give an exact answer, "No. I can't tell you what the fight was about. It's personal obviously. It was between me...and...my own self. And somehow even with those odds...I still lost."

Great. I lost to my own head. Perfect.

'I know you can hear me...and if it makes you happy- they all think I'm crazy.' I called to her, though it felt as if I was speaking to a void.

Itachi nodded, "Well, none the less- I am going to write to Pein. Sakura, if you could please follow me." He walked through the group, and I slowly got off the table, following after him.

He led me to the strange dark meeting room that also was never used. Inside was a large table simular to the one back at Konoha for when Tsunade would have meetings with the counsil. Taking a seat in one of the many chairs, Itachi motioned for me to sit down, while he pulled out some paper and a pen.

As he did, he spoke, "As I just stated, I am writing to Pein. Though I know you and your...self..are having issues or what not, I am telling him you are immune to the sharingan. I assume that by the time we are ready to fight Orochimaru, you will be back to your usual dual personality self. As for why you are here, I thought you might like to write back to Konoha, seeming as you were so adamant about having contact with them before, I thought it might be a good opportunity for you to say whatever you might like with little chance of the letter being lost or used in ways unintended."

I gave a sharp nod, unable to even speak with how grateful I was. I needed this.

Itachi handed me a few sheets of paper, and I immediately began filling it with words that I desperately wanted to say.

_Dear Tsunade,_

_You have no idea how grateful I am to be writing this to you. Things up here...or down here...to be honest I'm not quite sure where I am, and I don't think Itachi would be too pleased if I told you- are going...interestingly. See, Itachi- He's the makeshift leader of the group...everything goes through him. I don't know what all is going on in Konoha, but I hope the best with Pein and all. You would never believe what they have me doing here Shishou.._

_I'm cleaning and paying bills, buying groceries...it's like I'm a slave. Itachi broke my arm the other day. It should be good for use in about another week, ready to be out of the sling in a couple days. I really miss Konoha and everyone, and to be blunt, I don't like it here at all. These people aren't my friends, and though I know I don't have to watch my back so one doesn't attack me suddenly, I feel myself always tense and frustrated. Especially around this one guy, Deidara. He's the one from the Village Hidden in the rock, with the blonde hair. Anyhow- he is really annoying. I might just kill him just to shut him up. Itachi might break every bone in my body...but sometimes I think it may be worth it. He's that bad. The other day I got out of the shower- he wouldn't leave. In the end, I had to transfer out of the bathroom because he had the door locked. It was totally dumb._

_Though...let me be honest with you. I think I need to be replaced. Is it possible that you send someone else to stay here? I know it seems like I'm wimping out, and maybe I am...but the longer I'm here...I feel like...I'm just slipping away. Each day I hate them less and less...and each day I want to talk to them more and more. Today I was laughing and talking with Itachi just like I would any of my friends at Konoha. It made my Inner self so mad, she simply disappeared. My mind feels so empty and quiet now it unnerving, and I am so afraid! What happens if I completely slip away and somehow want to stay with the Akatsuki after it's all said and done? I mean, in an odd way, I am so different, my own self had enough and walked out on me. What happens if in the end I betray Konoha, and no longer feel the same way about it all that I used to?_

_I don't want that to happen- I love Konoha so much! I want to live there forever, and either die there after a lifetime or service, or die fighting. What's wrong with me Tsunade? Why am I letting myself fall into this trap? I should hate them...and I want to hate them...but when you are here, they aren't the same people you see on the battle field. They laugh, they eat, they complain...they interact with each other, make fun of each other, I even saw one of them brushing their teeth. That sounds dumb and minuscule, but it's makes things all different and confusing for me. _

_I want to laugh with them, talk with them, complain about how much it sucks to be here, and just have a general relationship with the people I living with day to day._

_It's just so hard for me to remember the things that I have grown up knowing...when what I see doesn't back it up at all. They don't seem like hateful, murdering machines...they just seem like normal, average people. Guys even. They are messy, and eat way more than they need to, have a general lack of understanding as to what is healthy and what isn't...it's like they aren't bad at all. And that's the thing- I know they are, but it's like I too, have split personalities, just like them._

_There's the side of them that is what I remember- the strong- evil people I would love nothing more than to kill at my own hands, and that side of me that will always hate them...and then you have this side. The side that no Konoha member has ever seen. The side that is normal...and the side of me that can't seem to hate them anymore. The side of me that wants to befriend them and let the past go. This is simply why I have to go. I know how risky this is to Konoha, and I know that the longer I stay here, the stronger that new side of me will become. It's just against my nature Tsunade- Sasuke called it on me a long time ago- I'm too companionate and I just can't hate like I should._

_I can't hate these people when I see them like this._

_Replace me. Send anyone that Pein will allow. I'm certain the guys won't complain if I leave. Me being a girl, I probably drive them all crazy anyhow. _

_Though whatever happens, tell everyone I love them, and that I pray every day that I can return home to you all again soon. I miss everyone, and hope you guys can write back. If not, I understand- Itachi is incredibly strict, and not only that, but I don't know if Pein is ok with you all responding anyways. I couldn't even believe it when Itachi told me I could write to you all, but am grateful I finally get to say goodbye at leeast. _

_In the bleak side that for whatever reason I don't return home to you, I love you all with all of my heart, and want only the best for Konoha and all who support her. I sincerely hope to see all of you again, but being where I am, nothing is guaranteed. _

_All my love,_

_Sakura_

I stood up after I finished my long letter, sealing it and handing it to Itachi.

"Don't read it." I warned, though I knew there was nothing I could do to stop him. And even then, there was nothing in there that would matter to him, only to the people it was intended for. Though he might raise an eyebrow at my admittance to change of heart in the letter, I doubted he really cared enough to question it.

He didn't seem to be the same type as Deidara, who would without doubt make fun of me for ages if he found out.

I headed out of the room, deciding that I would let the men fend for themselves for lunch. I wanted to go to my room and collapse After the fight and all that running- I was incredibly tired, and a part of me knew that Itachi wouldn't force me awake after this...interesting day.

It was so odd without Inner Sakura around...but I knew there was nothing I could do. She was apart of me, and I knew how stubborn I could be. She would come back in her own time, for her own reasons- if she ever did come back at all that is.

As I walked out, Itachi spoke up, catching my attention, "Sakura- I enjoyed that fight today- short as it was. We will have to do it again sometime."

iiiii

A/N: Hey guys! Completed as promised, on time, early in the morning, and finally- I release a bit of fun information that will leave you squealing for a bit. However- don't get starry eyes or anything- this isn't the couple (or maybe it is..)

This is simply Sakura beginning to one- get used to living there and letting some of the old fires be put out and two, want to find peace and seek friendship. However, Inner Sakura doesn't like it, and now poor Sakura is susceptible to the sharingan again.

Poor Baby.

Ah well though- It seems as though Itachi and her hit it off well enough- I'm sure he won't zap her. And I do believe this may be one of the few chapters without Deidara harassing our dear Sakura. I sort of miss the constant bantering back and forth, however I can assure you- there will be more to come. After all- this is just the beginning of her 2nd week with the men.

As for what's coming- Pein's response- whether Tsunade can respond or not to Sakura's letter, Itachi's battle offer, Deidara's constant annoyance, Sasori's thoughts and wisdom to her, and for the love of kami...will I ever tell you who she is going to be paired with?

:D

As usual, I love you all for your comments! The fan support has been awesome for this story and I am encouraged by each word you guys send me. I haven't gotten flames on this piece at all (not like I had for my others by any means..but still) so it is really exciting for me to write. I can guarantee you guys are in for a fun adventure- though I warn you it's going to be long. Like I said in my A/N a while back, it may be a while before you see any sparkling romance, but it will come :D

See you all Later :D

Midnight


	12. Mail Call!

Midnight: *pulls down glasses dramatically* Haha! Guess who turned Eighteen!

Itachi: Guess who missed her deadline. Again...

Sakura: Ehhehe..well, consistency isn't quite what you are known for Midnight...so legal adult then?

Midnight: You better believe it! Chapter- Up and ready- oh and on the note of the last chapter, I want to clarify a couple things- just to keep us all on the same page.

Itachi: Great. Her explanations? Pull up a chair. It's going to be the entire chapter I'll bet..

Midnight: Oh pipe down you insomniac! For your information- it will NOT be the entire chapter. Just hang tight.

Itachi: *groans and sits across room glaring*

Midnight: Alright, last chapter may have been a bit confusing and slightly misleading- I am not a perfect author of course and I am getting that impression based off my responses that people believe this story is officially headed towards the ItaSaku direction. Last chapter, I want to clarify, is not me revealing the couple/couples quite yet. If you re-read the chapter, there is not a point where Sakura is fawning over Itachi.

'Now wait a minute Midnight- it's clear their relationship has changed on both ends. Itachi gave her an invitation to fight at the very end, and Sakura's mood shifted so much that Inner left her. She even admitted it herself in the letter- she is confused!'

Good good. Glad you caught that. You see, it will be important when -blocks out detail- and then tells her that -blocks out detail- meaning that the entire -block censor block block block- and it is intense!

You see?

However, one comment did catch my attention- which I was very glad for, because I want to address it, just calling a few things to memory. The person stated something to the lines that they thought this was all happening quickly- which is ok. You all have the right to your opinions, and I actually enjoy hearing them. And I do mean that by the way- comments are awesome and they make me laugh and smile.

However, I do want to draw attention to the fact that you have to remember who your character is. It's Sakura. She is narrating the story, meaning that by nature (not only because of her individual character, but also because she is a girl) the story will be more emotional, dramatic, and eventful. Then add in the fact of the situation she is in. She is living among enemies, knowing she may die, never see her friends again, and currently can't find the balance of loyalty to Konoha, and how much loyalty she is required to give the Akatsuki, plus add in the fact that all girls need and desire friendship and bonding. At this point, she's been without a steady 'friend' for a full 2 weekish when you add in all the drama from Konoha, in such a traumatic situation.

She is greatly confused, there isn't exactly a 'how to' in the ninja book of life.

As time moves on, she will let her guard down- and you think it's irony the first person she lets her guard down to is Itachi? Think about it- sub consciously, she knows the face, name, he is from Konoha, but on the outward relationships, he is the one that is always there. He is the leader. From day one, he was in Konoha, talking with her one on one before anyone else was there. There is trust there. She (by force sadly) has had to test that trust- sharing a hotel room with him, following his commands and leadership of the group- seeing the consequences when she didn't.

Itachi has been one of the few, and you could debate the only one to show her a shred of kindness (in his own twisted way) out of all the Akat's, so it shouldn't be to surprising she is noting that on some level or another..

'So if it's all that it is- why is it all dramatic and you make it seem like it's so much more'

Again- it's Sakura. Any girl in that situation would be a basket case, her thoughts would be all over the place about the event. I know it may be difficult, however any mishaps and I am here to straighten them out.

Sakura: Dang. Itachi was right. Where's a lawn chair.. And I am not dramatic you little liar. I'll have you know I'm very calm and level headed ok. Seesh Midnight.

Midnight: Fine fine I'm done. Just something I wanted to say, because I don't want any dilusions to cloud up future events that WILL blow you away. I guarantee it. Until then- chapter 12. XD

-VERY IMPORTANT TO READ A/N AT THE END OF CHAPTER PLEASE! I NEED YOUR HELP!-

iiiii

iiii

"Hello deary"

"Hi.." I mumbled quietly, hoping that for whatever reason the crazy electric lady wouldn't remember who I was. Perhaps I should have worn a mask or something. She was the same desk attendant for when I had set up the utilities account for the 'trench suite' as she had called it- and how I managed to come in when she was working was beyond me.

"What can I help you with today?" Well, at least she looked to be in a better mood.

"I just need to pay my utility bill please."

"Alright, name and address please"

"Sakura- and the address is sort of difficult- I use a PO box." I stated, grabbing out a stack of cash that Itachi had given me. I wasn't really sure where their funds came from, and really, I didn't ask too many questions about it. I decided that I didn't want to know- not if it meant that once every couple weeks I had a guaranteed afternoon of freedom to pay bills and go shopping free from the scrutinies eyes of the S ranked criminals. The Akatsuki's could perhaps pay the bills if they did a henge or something- however when it came to shopping, they were far too 'manly' to stain their hands with a girly chore.

Whatever.

Though the idea of shopping and bill paying hit a bit too close to home at first, I was just as excited when Itachi told me it was time to head to town as I was the first time. I had been in the hideout with them now for almost a full two weeks, and any shot at honest to goodness freedom was something I would more than jump at. I soon realized that I was actually privileged in an odd way. I thought that everyone (except me) would be going in and out, marooning me with Itachi who did nothing but just stare into the wall all day long- however that was far from the case. Because of the fact that everyone had a face that was known across the lands, they all stayed at the hideout, 'keeping low' was the term Sasori had given me one day.

So really, everyone was in that rock for 24 hours a day, the only outdoors being the 200 ft perimeter around the forestry area, plus the miniature training ground. This took the term cooped up to new levels. Fights had begun to break out. Nothing serious though, just a couple holes in the wall, broken bathroom door (that was a pain to fix). Usually over something stupid, like someone would trip over someone's leg.

Instant fight.

At first I found them to be entertaining. Akatsuki fighting- you would too- until there was a small fist fight everyone couple hours. It was now to the point where I would just sigh and move to a new room, telling them that I wasn't healing any injuries- though that was a lie. In the past week I had healed Kisame's broken jaw, Deidara's sawed off skin, sewed Kakuzu back together, and generally worked my fingers to the bone with their petty injuries.

I was given the chance to get fresh air and see other human beings once in a while. I saw it as a privilege most definitely. It kept me sane and not so...edgy I suppose. I needed that freedom, or I would get so tense that I too would be getting in those fist fights with everyone else until I was one giant scab.

"Alright- well here is your statement-" the lady's voice interrupted my trailing thoughts while I grabbed the piece of paper left. I suppose this would have to be a recipt then? I wasn't exactly sure if Itachi needed to file the money spending away or not, but I would hate to be caught without proof of my purchases should Itachi choose he wanted to see them.

As I looked over the paper, the lady paused, staring at me silently, "Ah yes, you. So how is that dream home of your's going? Real fixer upper I immagine?"

I grinned slightly, still stuck in the squiggles of numbers and lines across the page, "You could say that.."

Not that the place was the greatest by any means, but when we first arrived it was fairly nice. Everything worked properly, lights were bright and even, but now however, with all the rough treatment, the place really could use a renovation or two. It was looking more like a destruction derby course with each day that passed by. Sometimes it was comical to me to see the holes in the walls or broken light bulb shards everywhere, though other times it was just annoying. I would have to buy like...fifty different light bulbs just to keep up! And they fought over everything! The dumbest stuff I sware. Hidan put the dental floss in the wrong spot a few days ago, and this was apparently reason enough to beat him senseless.

Childish.

That was the word.

I counted out the proper change, handing the bills to the lady as I had that silly grin still across my face, "So...how is your day?" I asked, knowing that I would most likely regret my decision, but really, being out of my cage had put me in quite the good mood. I wanted to hear about someone else's life. Someone's life that was...normal. Someone with a family, someone with kids and a normal day to day 9-5 job. Everything that being a ninja had taken from me.

"The day? The day itself is fine." she responded, counting out change and handing it to me with a serious look, "It's this life that's the problem. I tell you Sugar, if I had your looks and age, I would be long gone. I'd redo so many things now- like boys, and kids. Man that was a mistake if I ever made one. Life is just a giant swirling torrent of pain and misery. It's not really about getting out, as much as it is making sure that you aren't as badly screwed over as everyone else. In short, I hate my life. I'm so old, and what do I have to show for it-"

"A beautiful famil-"

"Wrinkles. That's it. No happiness, no wisdom- nothing. In short, life is horrible. I suggest doing it all big- do what you want. Don't do stuff just because someone wants you to. Do it for you."

I let the moment stand as her placid answer hit straight to my stomach like a brick.

Wow.

Such...positive words...towards the life of a civilian.

She handed me my change, a sudden huge grin across her face, "And how's your day Sakura?"

I paused, not certain of how to answer her- especially after that huge speech.

"Um...not bad as it could be I guess..have a nice day...er...yeah. Bye." I stated awkwardly, slowly walking backwards before leaving the entire building all together.

Right.

Well, glad that was over. And also glad to see she was just as crazy as I remembered her to be. Perhaps some things would never change.

I made my way to the grocery store, mulling over meal plans in my head as I made my way through the store. The weather had been so miserable lately, it was hot and muggy, and Deidara and Kisame's last spar ended up braking the AC. Kisame said he would start working on it to fix it, but three days had come and gone now and still no cool air in this hellish desert.

In terms of how this affected me, I instantly decided as I was walking among the fresh produce that I didn't really want to slave over a hot stove. It was far too heated as it was. I would prepare something simple, fresh, and crisp for today. A nice salad. I would make a dressing, buy everything fresh here, and make it when I got back. That should be appreciated. With it being so hot out, who would want to gorge down some huge meal?

I continued moving down the isles, grabbing out different ingredients, various pastas, and other things I would need. One day I would write up a meal plan for myself to make the grocery shopping easier, however at this point, I simply didn't care enough to become that organized and methodical.

I internally groaned as I thought over how long I had been with the Akatsuki. Almost one full month now. A few days traveling, and now almost a full three weeks at the hideout. And through all of this, still no word from Pein or Tsunade. I wasn't sure who I wanted to hear more from. It would be great to hear from Tsunade- make me miss home a bit less and just have a great fuzzy moment, but if we heard from Pein, we would get to DO something. That was half the problem alone. We were all just so bored!

I was still apprehensive slightly about helping them out and becoming 'one' with the Akatsuki while I was here, but things were so much different from when I had first arrived. Life with them was just...normal now. Get up early, chakra seal the bathroom door shut so no one would wander in on me, dry off, make breakfast, do dishes, wander around aimlessly for a few hours, make lunch, wander around some more, make dinner, do the dishes, then go to bed.

It was rather...uneventful to be honest. A small part of me expected more danger...adventure...something more than just normal average life in the grips of S ranked criminals. Man was I wrong about that. Turns out that people are people no matter who, or where you are.

I grabbed a few frozen meals for the days I really didn't feel like cooking, then moved towards the checkout lane. I had grabbed enough for about 2 full weeks, meaning that I would have to tag a few things and 'summon' them home. It was either that or make like...fifty trips back and forth to town and trench. I was not doing that.

"How are we doing today ma'am?"

"Alright." I mumbled, putting up the first of the many items up on the conveyor belt, "How are you?"

"I'm at work..." the voice of a younger teen male responded with a gentle laugh.

I gave a laugh of my own, "I understand entirely."

I continued piling the objects for pricing, mind wandering back to what the lady had said back there. She was clearly unhappy- cynical even. Her bitterness had almost become a sarcasm. How could that be though? She didn't even know how lucky she was! She had the ability to live life, have a family, do what she wanted! I could never do any of that. Hell, I was living among people that wanted to kill me and me them! What freedoms did I have?

"Hey, I have a question..." I asked, telling myself that I really had no business asking these people these questions, but I was just so curious. Their life was my definition of happiness...why couldn't they see what they had going for them?

"Um..sure" the kid responded, still pulling the items across the scanner and placing them in the plastic bags.

"How are you liking life? Are you...happy?" I asked, intensely staring at the kid.

The kid looked back at me, confusion clearly displayed across his face, "Um...I guess so. It's life, I mean, not really good or bad. Just time passing by."

I frowned slightly, not pleased by his answer. Not much I could expect from a small child though. Still though, I was hoping for some form of positive answer about life that was solely dueled out by choice alone. It's all I could ever hope for and dream about, but my life was already set out for me. I was a medical ninja, assistant to the hokage. I did what I was told, even if I disagreed to it all.

"Alright, your total is $175.65"

"Here" I mumbled, handing him the required amount.

I moved to the bags, placing a tag on each of them with a sigh. I pulsed chakra into them and watched the bags disappear before my eyes as I moved them to the hideout.

"Dude! You're a ninja?" the kid shrieked, instantly intruiged by the small act that was apparently extraordinary.

"Yeah.." I responded, grabbing my change and receipt as the kid continued gaping.

"That's sweet! Are YOU happy? It must be the coolest thing in the world to be able to leap from tree to tree and...wow that's so amazing!"

I shrugged, throwing his answer back at him, "I guess so. Just time passing by."

And with that, I walked off towards the hideout, finding just as much on my mind as there was before.

Saying nothing more, I too walked out, heading off to the kitchen. I had finally gotten a time table down in my head, and each day and meal was beginning to get smoother transitions. I decided I would go with a simple food today. It was pretty hot out, and I for one didn't want to be forcing down some large t-bone steak that would leave me feeling like a bloated balloon. No stinkin way.

I would make up a nice summer salad. Maybe add a bit of meat chunks- something light. Bacon, or mabye chicken? Nah- why ruin fresh greens with unneccessary meat. I would get back to the hideout, start chopping up the greens, roast some garlic for that savory zing, and presto- a nice simple lunch.

My walk back was more simple, and quiet as one could imagine. My mind was running silent laps around itself trying to keep up with the many things on my mind. I was trying to figure out the ratios of vegetables to use, plus the entire meal plan for the next couple of weeks, and on a completely separate note, why it was that no one seemed to be happy.

And the more I realized how difficult it was for me to keep up with my own head, the more I realized how much I missed...me. Inner Sakura. I could pass so much down time with my odd personality in my head- and of course manage to multitask better than anyone else I knew. While I was doing one project, Inner was always doing another and I'd get done in half the time. I know that in an odd way it quite possibly made me insane, but I didn't care at this point. Inner was just a part of me, and a part of who I was. It felt so wrong to be without her.

God what I would do to get Ino's advice over it all. What I really needed was a girls night...or week at this point. Each day that passed made it that much easier for me to forget who I was and where I stood. Each day the Akatsuki became less dangerous and more of typical room mates and more like...friends. Even Deidara and I had somewhat gotten along better in the past week. Granted we still took great lengths to annoy the crap out of each other, but that's just how the relationship was.

I just missed Konoha so bad. I missed the fear of my door being broken to shards, I missed the many (many) dinner dates at Ichiraku's, sparring with Naruto, late nights with Ino, the buzz of the office, Tsunade and her 'tea' obsessions... Konoha was my home. I loved everything about it. Each season had breathtaking sights you wouldn't see anywhere else like the angelic winters. At the right place, all you could see was sparkling white snow at sunrise- pinks and orange for miles.

Or in the fall where the air smelled so fresh and warm at the same time, yet still a nip to your nose as you walk down the sidewalk. They'd start making apple cider soon, fall was quickly approaching for Konoha. In just a few short weeks, passerbyers would be carrying around cups of Apple Cider, always on demand come October when the temperatures start to fall. Soon the scarves would be coming out, fall jackets, pink noses...

Then the snow.

The laughing, the ice glittering trees, the snowball fights and sled rides down the hills..Christmas..

I sighed, finding that I had been giving myself a securing hug as I walked out of the small town.

It dawned on me all over again just how long I had been gone from my home now. A month. A full month of living with my sworn enemies. And as I thought of it all, I wanted to cry. A full month had passed and we hadn't made any progress at all, meaning I would still be here for some time longer. I didn't need Inner to help me find the outcome of that and why it made my stomach feel weak.

I'd be spending Christmas with the enemy.

With that in mind, I willfully had to force my legs to keep walking towards 'home'. I wouldn't run. I was tired of running. I would face up to my fears and push my doubts away. I was a ninja. That's just what I did. My happiness didn't matter as long as the mission is completed. Happiness had nothing to do with it.

...And I left in such a good mood today..

iiii

"Sakura, you're back.."

I nodded as I walked through the lounge where Kisame was sitting, holding Kakuzu and Hidan apart while they tried to throw punches at each other regardless Kisame being between the two.

"Yeah."

"Hey I think Itachi said he wanted to talk to you so-"

"Tell him I died. I am going to my room kay? I really don't want to be disturbed so if you guys could fend for yourselves for dinner? Try not to touch any thing too major though, I'm trying to make a meal plan remember."

With that, I continued moving down the hall, moving to the kitchen for a glass of water. I just wanted to go to my room and cry. All I wanted out of life- and I don't even get it. Of all the people to celebrate Christmas with- these people? Christmas was a celebration of joy, and hope...family. I had to celebrate HOPE with these guys? What did I do in my past life to deserve this?

As I poured water from the sink into the glass, I caught Itachi's reflection as he moved into the kitchen.

"Kounichi." he stated, seeming to know that I was aware of his presense. How he seemed to always know everything was beyond me.

"Itachi." I repeated, not quite sure what he wanted me to say back to him.

He leaned against the wall as I turned around, staring at him as I drank down my water.

"How did shopping go?"

Itachi, making small talk? Good grief what was the world coming to?

"What do you want Itachi?" I stated monotone, setting the cup down on the counter and crossing my arms defensively.

He smirked, "So trusting. I suppose that you don't want the mail I've received from Konoha then- in fear I may have tampered with it?" He was suddenly holding a small stack of papers, and I all but tackled him to the ground

"Gimmie!"

I grabbed the papers, childish excitement bubbling in my stomach as I lept out of the kitchen and ran to my room, "ThxThachiBye!"

I sealed the door shut, grabbing the first envelope. I had a whole stack of them- I was so excited! I needed this. Grabbing out the paper, I smiled at the instant recognizable handwriting.

Shizune.

"Dear Sakura,

Well, it's been hell here in the office without you. Word as you can imagine has finally gotten around about Orochimaru so the town is generally spooked, but not as bad as I thought it would have been. Luckily we've managed to keep things quiet about Pein for now, however I'm not sure how long we can keep that a secret either.

Tsuanade has been just awful lately. She says its stress from Pein and the constant threat of attack, but I am certain most of it is her concern for you. She was in awful shape when you left, but I think its getting better in time. It sure isn't the same without you though. I have to work twice as hard, and everything is too quiet now. I don't even have a lunch buddy for my lunch break any more- how sad is that?

Anyhow, I think it's really great that you are doing this for Konoha. I think you should feel honored that Pein choose you out of everyone. You really are something special though Sakura- even Pein could see that. We miss you so much over here, but understand that you are doing a great service for us all.

In hopes to see you again soon-

Shizune"

I smiled, folding up the letter and putting it back in the envelope. I instantly moved to the next one, still grinning warmly as my eyes swept over each word

"Heya Sakura-chan!

I am so happy to write to you! I didn't even get to say goodbye to you before that bastard and his henchmen dragged you away. You just wait though- I'll get revenge on them each tenfold. Believe it! That Itachi won't know what hit him!

That Pein...he is one annoying guy. He thinks he's all high and mighty with his spiky hair. Whatever. I think he looks like an orange hedgehog. He's always trying to tell Tsunade what to do, making her all stressed out and all.

Oh by the way I have taken the liberty to house sit your apartment for you. I know you wouldn't mind at all, so I thought I would just move in and watch over it all while you were away.

I've decided that if we all make it through this whole thing alive, I'm going to marry Hinata. I know we are both still young and all, but this has all made me realize that I love her. Why should I wait? I was actually considering marrying her right away and starting an engagement, however I can't get married while you are out living among the enemy. I will wait until you get back, then I'll propose and you can see the wedding with your own eyes.

On that note, how are all those bastards treating you? Like a princess right? Anything less and I'll rip their eyes out. I can't believe they are making you cook and all that stuff. You aren't a maid!

Oh! Something else? Pein has made it so I can't go on any missions until this whole thing is over! How convenient for him right? I'll always be right there in the city. He claims that if I go out then there is a chance Orochimaru might capture me but still, it all seems so convenient for him doesn't it.

...I really can't wait to see you again though Sakura. It's so scary to think of you out there by yourself, fending for yourself against all those guys. I know you can do it though. You are so stubborn and hard headed, you'll get out of there just fine, and return back as the hero you are.

We miss you Sakura, come back in one piece-

Naruto."

"Hey Forehead!

So what's with this whole letter crap?

You write to Tsunade and not me?

Priorities Sakura! I am your best friend! So when you write back to me, you've got to tell me all the drama and details about those guys. Are they annoying- have really nasty habits? I don't know why, but I always imagine you to be in a place where they leave their dirty underwear laying across the couches and the sinks have things growing in them. Is that over dramatic?

Sounds like you are missing Konoha huh? Well, can't blame you. Konoha is great- but honestly- this whole thing really sucks. Pein is working on plans to send out our team, I don't know many details or I'd give you them if I knew- but I am so afraid about it. I am the medical ninja on the team, and in an odd way I don't want to go. I am afraid of getting hurt, or loosing someone even if I try to heal them- but then I think about you. All the sacrifices you had to make all in one night for the sake of Konoha.

That's why I am doing it without complaint. If you can do all of that- live with those awful men without throwing a temper, then I can suck it up and go on this mission too. Konoha is worth it to me.

I think right now most of the ninja have a totally different way of thinking now. Konoha hasn't been in a position like this in such a long time- but now- death is just a reality. Everyone sees each day differently. So often you hear the sentence, "If I get out of this alive-" and even myself, I find that I have thought over what I want to do differently if the next ninja war/destruction of Konoha is avoided.

I know we talked about it before, but I am so serious. I want to find peace. I want to know what real peace is, and just soak that in. I don't want to have to worry about fighting and training each day- sure it's fun to know how to kill someone, reverse nerve impulses...but having to use it as a weapon against someone? Being a ninja really isn't all it's cracked up to be is it?

Sometimes I find myself staring up into the sky and just getting lost in my own thoughts. It's like it's all slipping away so fast isn't it? One day you are in the academy, the next you are quite literally saving the world. Yet even in all of that, I often find myself to be unhappy. It's so strange. I don't know what exactly I want out of life, but I know that this just isn't it.

Meh. I don't really know Sakura- I just wish this stupid thing would end already. Its so hard living in this down time where you wonder each day if you will wake up tomorrow. I can't imagine how hard it must be on you. I know it won't help all that much, but in the ninja world, you are like a goddess right now. Best of luck and stand your ground girl.

Love you!

Ino."

I stared at that letter for a long moment, getting up and taping it to my night stand with a sad smile.

I missed Ino so much.

I missed Konoha so much.

I continued reading through the letters, one from Tenten, one from Kakashi (that was a surprise) and a few others that had wanted to write encouragement to me so it seemed. Finally I came to the last letter, knowing before I even looked at it who it would be from.

This letter would be Tsunade's.

"My dearest Sakura,

I obviously received your letter, and am quite pleased that I have the opportunity to respond back to you. As you can clearly understand, things are quite busy and chaotic here in Konoha. Pein and I get together almost every day and work together off from information the Akatsuki has sent us and what we already know. I think we are going to be sending out a small informational retrieval unit, try to gain some perspective from that. I'm not quite sure though.

Pein drives me nuts though.

He is just as stubborn and controlling as I am. He wants to do it one way, I disagree, so we spend all afternoon fighting over who is right. It is all about being diplomatic and properly debating out points, though most of the times I just want to knock him out and toss him threw a window. Luckily it hasn't quite come to that level yet.

I am beginning to see just how much of a fine worker you really were here in the office. Not that I hadn't noticed before, but there is so much to be done now that you aren't here! It's crazy how much filing you do, mission's work, reports over money, meetings...I feel like most of my time is filling in for you!

However, before I get too off topic, I want to address what you said in your letter about how you feel towards the Akatsuki. To answer your question right off the bat, no, I can't switch you out. You are the only person Pein would ever accept, and technically with you knowing where the hideout is, you would be a liability here and the trust issues would throw our alliance off.

Though if there is one thing I want to say, it's that I personally think you are trying too hard. I don't understand why you are stressed about befriending your new comrades. I hate the mind set that just because you are enemies, you have to hate each other always. This isn't a black and white world Sakura. There are purples, oranges, blues, pinks...what I am trying to say is that...you are allowed to enjoy yourself there. I don't expect you to wake up each day and write down a list of ten things you hate about them each morning.

That will just make you a bitter old woman one day. Don't do that to yourself Sakura. You need to grow as a person and learn to be who you want to be, not who you are told to be. I know you are afraid of letting go of what you believe to be right for Konoha- but being realistic- you aren't in Konoha. Where you are, Konoha is far far away from. Stop pretending like you are where you aren't. Learn who you want to be, and base it off from simply what you want. You try so hard to be what everyone tells you to be and follow orders to a T.

Stop that Sakura.

There is no guide to where you are. I've never heard of any situation like this- so really- don't try to live by some cookie cutter by the book answer. You've got to make your own path here. Discover who you are there- don't just hate because someone told you to. Remember your background and your loyalty- but don't just hate people from some person telling you who to like and not to like.

I'll leave it at that. Trust your heart Sakura, and I'll see you again soon

Tsunade."

I sat still staring into the letter, finding tears at my eyes as if a giant burden had just been lifted off from me.

I needed this more than I even knew I did. With this- I was free.

I didn't have to feel guilty about laughing or having a good time with them. I could be who I chose to be. Tsuande had given me the key to my freedom, and it felt great.

I pinned the letter up on the night stand as well, moving towards my bed and laying down with a satisfied grin.

iiii

I grabbed out a large salad bowl, cleaning off the vegetables before grabbing a chef knife and chopping them up accordingly. This would be a very nice meal. A nice fresh salad on the hot summer day- it reminded me of days out with Ino. I felt like I should be planning a hat shopping date afterwards..

"Hey guys, lunch is up." I called into the hallways, still setting out plates around the table. I wasn't sure where everyone would want to eat today- sometimes everyone stayed around the kitchen (usually when Itachi had something to say) or sometimes would eat in their bedrooms (where the dishes NEVER returned from..) and other times we'd all head to the lounge.

They all began to gather in the kitchen, grabbing plates routinely before looking at todays meal. Upon sight, one of the men (Guess who?) gave a loud groan.

"Salad? I am a MAN. I want-"

"Really? Could've fooled me Deidara.." Hidan responded, poking at the greens, "But I will say- I put in a hard days work and you give Salad? Jashin would never allow such whimpy foods.."

I rolled my eyes, being the first to put a handful of greens onto the plate, "Seriously? It's a salad guys. Greens. They are healthy for you."

"I'd prefer steak. Meat. Man food." Kisame crossed his arms, also glaring at the bowl in suspicion.

I sighed, pouring some garlic vinaigrette over my plate, taking the first bite. "Man food..." I mumbled out load in distain, wanting to groan myself.

And they said I was being difficult? Ha! I serve up a healthy meal for a huge crowd of people, and they complain because its not a bleeding stack of beef. Disgusting! I for one, would continue to enjoy my salad on this hot summer day, and if they didn't like it, they could fix themselves something, because I had done my job and served lunch for the ungrateful people.

"I hate greens.." Deidara hissed, grabbing a bowl and putting like 2 strips of lettuce in the bowl. "I hate my life." he finalized, picking up the one of the two pieces of lettuce by hand, and slowly eating one bite, chewing it like a cow in misery, and forcing himself to swallow.

"GAH!" He stated with a dramatic frown, "It tastes horrible! How can you eat that?" he turned his attention to me, watching me eat a normal salad like a normal human being. I overall ignored him, giving him a rather perturbed look before continuing my meal. How stupid. Men and salad.

Finally, they all began gabbing small amounts of the salad, drizzling the vinaigrette sauce over it and slowly eating the vegetable meal. Most continued complaining about how horrible it tasted, swallowing loudly and gasping dramatically. Psh. What a bunch of babies. A real man should be able to hold down a salad. Seriously. The only one who had yet to say anything at all was Itachi, but I am quite certain you could chop off his arm and he wouldn't say anything. He was far too good for that I assume.

As lunch finished some time later, I found myself back at the lounge, doing the most common thing that I did when I got incredibly bored.

"Got any twos?"

"Go fish.."

I groaned, setting down my small stack of cards and grabbing a new one from the sea in the middle of the coffee table. Sigh. It was a seven.

"Alright, your turn." I looked up at the smurf colored giant (sharing no other qualities with the small gentle creatures) I can't believe I was reduced to playing Go Fish with S-Ranked criminals.

"Got any Aces?" he asked, not looking up from his fan like collection of cards. I'd like to say I was winning- however- it was go fish. In light of the situation, we were both losers.

"Nope- go fish."

This was so much...fun. (Not) Our Go Fish/card games had become a great way to pass time while we were waiting for Pein's letter. With the fact that I had received so many from Konoha the night before, I assumed we had our new orders from Pein, though Itachi had yet to say anyting to us.

As Kisame's eyes scanned over his cards, I rehashed over Tsunade's letter about me being here. I remember first coming, it was all so tense and strange, but now- I didn't care. Sure I'd go back to Konoha without even a blink of a thought, however, I had gotten used to the tragedy I came to know as life. Sure I lived with the Akatsuki. Sure it sucked. But right now...that was life. In an odd way, we came to an unspoken agreement.

What happened in the hideout, stayed in the hideout. Tsunade's letter had allowed me to see that. Right now, we all got along. We interacted with each other...we let go and just...were ourselves. It was amazing to see the personalities unfold. Examples? Deidara was a douchebag- though he was fun to be around now that we weren't at each other's throats so much, in fact, we were just as mean as when we had first met, but it was now more of a competition between the two of us than hatred.

Kisame only looked beastly and intimidating. In reality, he was possibly one of my favorie people to be around. In the past week, we had mastered various different card games, including (but not limiting to) Go Fish, Slap Jack, ERS, and 'Guess which card I am holding now' (That one got old pretty fast though).

Sasori reminded me of Itachi, but a bit less mysterious and secluded. He seemed to be as wise in his own manner, though was a bit more sociable and wasn't as...high strung as Itachi. While Sasori would laugh and have a grand time with everyone else- Itachi would stand in the corner as if he simply wouldn't lower himself to our ridiculous ways found to pass time- though if he didn't think anyone was watching him- I could catch a smirk or two from him.

It was..ok for me to have fun and laugh with them. Be friends with them, because I knew it was at the hideout. What happens in the hideout stays in the hideout.

At the hideout, we were safe.

At the hideout, we weren't Konoha and Akatsuki

We were people downing shots and playing cards all night

We were ninja that didn't have to kill just because someone told them to

At the hideout...we were just people again.

Just normal, average people.

Two years from now, or whenever we got out of here- if we saw each other again- neither party would hesitate to beat each other senseless/death. That was what Tsunade was talking about. I couldn't let laws of old affect me here- make my life have to stop because someone else told me it should. I didn't have to live like that. I could build strong alliances with each of them, and destroy them all later. But in the mean time...

"Do you have any Jacks?"

"Here."

"Sweet- thaannkk you. Now, how about nines?"

"Go fish."

"Darn."

I could hear a light laugh from behind me, and I turned with a smirk, "You know Deidara, if you want to play Go Fish, you just have to ask."

He laughed louder, leaning back into the couch and drinking...whatever was in the cup.

"I'll pass."

"Yeah, wise on your part I suppose. With your intellect, I'd say Go Fish is most likely over your head.."

"The only thing over my head is that giant Kisame, little girl."

"Can it small fry." Kisame responded, though his tone was light.

I shrugged, "Meh, to each his own. So what do you play then Deidara?"

I folded my cards, knowing somehow internally that the game was over now that we had something better to do than try to match up pairs of cards. Pein would most likely kill us if he knew what we had degraded to, but it was his fault for not writing back sooner.

Deidara looked up from his cup, setting it down on the coffee table, "Me? Um...poker."

"Poker.."

"Poker."

I paused, giving him a disbelieving look, "...Poker?"

"Poker."

"Pok-"

"For the love of all things- Poker! P-O-K-E-R. In that order! Sounds like you've never played poker before."

I rolled my eyes, "Psh. Tsuanade always had me doing her paper work while she went gambling. I think I've played that game once...maybe twice my entire life.."

Kisame laughed, standing up and towering over us, "That's rare- a ninja that basically has never played poker before. Though, it is a guy thing generally."

"Why poker? And to be honest...I don't see you as the card playing type any how.."

Deidara stood up, a dark smirk decorating his pretty boy face, "I have my reasons."

I nodded slowly, "Uhhuh..." pausing to shuffle the deck and watch him as he walked away. Perhaps I would have to initiate a poker night. Without Inner yelling at me, it was like having no parents almost. There was no one watching me, no Konoha infulence telling me what I could and couldn't do...

While I was here, at least in this moment, I was free.

Itachi moved in shortly after Deidara's depart, sitting down on the couch with a grace unknown to mankind, "Sakura, a word?"

I looked up at Kisame with concern as if secretly pleading for him to save me from the confusion of Itachi's presence, though Kisame just gave me a toothy (very toothy) grin, laughing with a shrug.

"And why are you looking at me?"

I gave a sad look of terror, flinging my head around back to Itachi, "Alright...I'm listening.." I groaned, wishing that anyone other than Itachi were the leader.

My arm had just now healed up completely, and I was afraid that one fasle move would render it broken again. For me, being submissive to anyone other than Tsunade was a challenge, let alone someone I was trained to hate. It was very frustrating to be forced to cook and such, but having to respond to Itachi like I did Tsunade? That was a stretch for me.

Itachi sat back in the chair with his usual bland face mask on, giving me such eye contact I was almost afraid to breathe. "I received a letter from Pein in response to the one I had sent him previously. Though I told him of many things, I told him about your immunity to the sharingan, as well as the spar we had. I would love to say he sent us out on a mission, however he clearly stated that we are still to remain low for the time being. However, he did come to a decision that I can't help but agree with."

I gave him a quizical looking, feeling an eyebrow raise in curiosity, "Really now? And what pray tell is this decision, Itachi?"

Pein giving orders in regards to me? This should be interesting.

"It's simple really," he crossed him arms as if in thought, furrowing his eyebrows as his thoughts exited his lips, "Though regardless it's simplicity, I am quite certain you will be very opposed, and almost childish about it all."

It was hard not to glare at him- automatically assuming I wouldn't listen to him. I had been trying hard the past couple days not to be as troublesome, and its as if he gave me little to no credit for it at all.

"Try me."

He nodded, closing his eyes like he usually did when saying something he had already thought and decided over, "Alright- Pein thinks, as do I, that your performance shows that you have a great need for training. He has given the task to train you in this period of downtime."

I shot up, instantly offended. "What? YOU are NOT training ME!"

Itachi sighed, crossing his arms as he stood up, "I do believe we are."

"Itachi, I'm the best medical ninja alive quite possibly, if it is true what Tsunade said. If not than I am the 2nd best, which is still incredible. I do not, nor will I accept this slap in the face of you thinking that I'm some weak little girl you have to train, just because I am 'that pathetic'. I don't care what you, or Deidara think, or Pein think, if I get one good hit on you then you are dead. Simple as that."

Itachi opened his eyes, no emotion tinting his face, though his eyes twinkled with disagreement, "Is that so? Be it true that your chakra enhanced strength is incredible, as you said yourself, it is only lethal if you hit your opponent. That there is your problem. You don't have the speed of an Akatsuki member, nor the grace of one either. You don't know how to correctly analyze you opponent and often do things that aren't necessary. While it may only take one hit- you'll never hit us. You are a great ninja by normal standards, but only a mediocre one by ours. If you want to work with us, you have to be like us and think like we do. Besides all that- Pein's orders. We are training you Kounichi."

"There's that we again!" I hissed, eyes now into thin lines as I mentally tried to defy all his words.

So it may be true that they were on a different level from me, but this whole conforming to just another Akatsuki drone was one thing I would not do. I had no interest in being like them, or thinking like them. Screw Pein! The only reason I was even working with them to begin with was because I had to!

"So what, you are going to train me, or are you tag teaming with Kisame to give me this 'proper' instruction?" I retorted with sarcasm, rolling my eyes as far as they would go.

Itachi gave a light shake of his head, a small smirk now twisting his features. "Pein was very specific on that. All of us Akatsuki are."

I shot my head back around, for the longest moment just staring at them as the words sunk in. Every single one of them? Training me? That would be like what- seven training sessions a day? Plus making three meals a day...?

Was he out of his mind?

"No. Way. I refuse!"

"Sakura you have little choice in this matter. By force or not, you will need to learn about how to fight like an Akatsuki member and not the way you have been taught from Konoha!"

I shot my head to the side in a defiant scowl, refusing to keep eye contact. Not having that, Itachi grabbed my chin, forcing me to look back at him again as he continued to demonstrate his dominance over me

"Do you think that it's just luck that makes it so we beat you? Is it just bad communication that makes it so your teams can never catch us?"

Itachi released my chin, "I don't want some 2nd rate Konoha ninja trying to fill the shoes of what WE do. Until you learn properly what being a ninja is about, you will never catch us. You will never beat us, however, you will learn what it means to be a true ninja."

I could feel my blood boiling, and I couldn't stop the harsh words from pouring out of my mouth, "Sorry Itachi, but not all of us have clans we can decimate!"

Itachi smirked, leaning down and whispering in my ear deadly, "Which is why you will begin training."

And with that, he walked away, speaking his final words over his shoulder as per usual, "I will see you out on the field by dawn. Either that or I can get water to wake you up. See you bright and early Sakura."

I watched him walk away, glaring daggers into his back, wishing I had inner just to see her kick his butt repeditaly. After he got out of my line of vision, I scoweled deeper, thinking to myself over how this would work out.

Maybe it wouldn't be all so bad, now that I had a moment to think it through. Itachi had a point. We didn't know their style, how they worked, but if they trained me, I could use all I learned and report it back to Tsuande. The more we knew about them, the better of a chance we would have to catching and shutting them down. Though it was true that I was seeing a new side to them I never would have believed existed, I would be fine with knowing they were all brought to justice and this evil place shut down.

I looked up at Kisame, shaking my head, "You knew about this evil plot...and I even let you play Go Fish with me.."

iiiii

A/N: Hey guys- glad to see you down at the bottom reading my special little Author's notes! Today we have a special Authors note, divided into two lovely parts.

(Part One)

I am so sorry! I know it's been so long guys! If you want to know major details, pop me a mail and I'll respond to you in between college papers, work schedule, church, studying, homework, and general day to day grind. I honestly do have real reasons as to why it's taken me so long. Advice? I post updates on my profile page every couple of days to say 'hey I'm writing up this chapter' or 'I have a test I am so screwed over' So that will keep us all on the same page. I am hoping that my next updates won't take this long though.

(Part Two)

Alright. Down to business. I will put this simply. I need a manager/beta reader. A dear reader gave me this idea (you know who you are :D) and I have decided to act on it. This person will be responsible for serious valuable information! They will know the plot of the story, know a couple chapters in advance, read over and give me feedback-generally a whole lot of trust going into this position. Benefits? Well, aside from knowing what happens in the story and seeing it faster than any other reader, you will get to see the story unfold and we can talk over details and just stuff like that.

If you are interested in the spot, pop me a message. I would prefer to see some work of yours (something you've written. doesn't have to be on FF however.) just to make sure our writing styles are 'compatible'.

If no one wants the job, I won't be offended, but it sure would be nice to have that extra boost.

Anyhow, that's all. Thanks for sticking around guys! See you in chapter 13!


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